OLYMPIA — Bridges in the national forest on the North Olympic Peninsula are among those that will be inspected during the next week, causing delays for drivers.
Engineers from Olympic National Forest will conduct bridge inspections through Sept. 12.
The safety checks are expected to cause delays of up to 60 minutes.
An under-bridge inspection truck will be used for the work.
This has a long arm that extends under the bridge from the bridge deck and blocks access entirely while the inspection is in progress.
Among the bridges to be inspected are the South Fork Calawah Bridge on Forest Service Road 2932000, the South Fork Soleduck Bridge on Forest Service Road 2918000, the Dungeness Forks Bridge on Forest Service Road 2880000 and the Humptulips Gorge Bridge on Forest Service Road 2204, which is southeast of Lake Quinault.
Other inspections
Also to be inspected are the Lower Canyon River Bridge on Forest Service Road 2368, Middle Matheny Bridge on Forest Service Road 2160080, Sitkum Gorge Bridge on Forest Service Road 2900070, Church Creek Bridge on Forest Service Road 2361000, South Fork Skokomish Bridge on Forest Service Road 2353000 and Skokomish Gorge Bridge, also known as the High Steel Bridge, on Forest Service Road 2340000.
By law, bridge inspections are required every two years to ensure that bridges within Olympic National Forest are compliant with National Bridge Inspection Standards.
