LA CONNER, Wash. — The historic Rainbow Bridge in La Conner was closed for eight hours Thursday, during an emergency inspection after there were concerns about its structural integrity.
Engineers with WSDOT examined every bolt and beam supporting the 57-year-old bridge, and declared it safe for travel at 9:30 p.m. Thursday.
At 1:30 p.m., a 911 caller told Skagit County dispatchers that she heard loud cracking sounds on the bridge. The caller said dust and concrete debris could be seen falling from the deck.
At the same time, Amy Griffin says she saw concrete chunks tumbling from under the bridge into the Swinomish channel, 75 feet below.
“Initially, I saw debris from the bridge as I was passing this way,” she said, adding that some of the debris was colored orange, the color of the bridge.
Skagit County Public Works workers told KIRO 7 they were taking no chances after the I-5 bridge spanning the Skagit River collapsed last year, 10 miles from La Conner. Sheriff’s deputies shut down the bridge immediately.
“There’s never been a problem,” said Pat Smyth, who has lived in La Conner since the bridge opened in 1957. “They’ve always taken good care of the bridge.”
The Rainbow Bridge is about 70 miles northwest of Seattle. The steel bridge is about 796 feet long and when it opened it was the only orange bridge in Washington State. The bridge connects La Conner to Fidalgo Island, the Swinomish Reservation, and Shelter Bay.
KIRO
