Mt. Rainier park seeks public comment on need to fix or replace bridge leading to Sunrise

Comments will be accepted through April 9; there is a meeting about the project scheduled for March 23.

By Alex Bruell • March 17, 2022 12:27 pm
Fryingpan Creek Bridge (Image taken in 1992 by photographer John “Jet” Lowe, accessed via the Library of Congress)
Fryingpan Creek Bridge (Image taken in 1992 by photographer John “Jet” Lowe, accessed via the Library of Congress)

Mount Rainier National Park officials want your take on plans to fix or outright replace the ailing Fryingpan Creek Bridge on the way to Sunrise at the park.

Travelers along Sunrise Road hit the two-lane, 128-foot long bridge over Fryingpan Creek about three miles west of the White River Entrance and Ranger Station, but the small bridge has seen better days.

Ruddy-brown rust cakes its guardrails and the metal structure underneath. The curbs have deteriorated, and the bridge abutments have become undermined, according to the National Park Service.

The bridge was built in 1931 with a 75-year lifespan — i.e., ending in 2006. The bridge is inspected annually to ensure it remains safe, but it was rated as being in fair-to-poor condition in the 2020 FHWA Bridge Inspection Report, which considered it a bridge of “major” concern.

It’s time, the NPS says: The structure needs to either be torn down or fixed, or else the bridge will soon need to be closed to the public in order to prevent catastrophic failure.

That work won’t be easy, though, since construction on the bridge could delay or restrain access to the Sunrise area for around two-years, according to the NPS. The Summerland Trailhead and adjacent parking areas would be inaccessible to the public, which would need to use other trailheads to get into the area.

Repairing the bridge would buy another 10 to 15 years, according to the NPS, after which time the repair-or-replace question would likely be back on the table. Building a new bridge, meanwhile, could be done on a new alignment or by using the alignment of the current bridge.

“This historic bridge is a critical piece of park infrastructure, and it needs work to ensure sustainable access into the future,” park superintendent Greg Dudgeon said in a prepared statement.

Public feedback will be accepted until April 9 by the NPS, and a virtual meeting is scheduled from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on March 23. (Here’s a link to the meeting; it appears it will be held over the Microsoft Teams platform. If you are unable to connect using Teams, or if you would prefer to join by phone, please call 1-443-342-4948 during the meeting. The phone conference ID # is 397 819 762.)

You can learn more about the project at https://bit.ly/3sWWJWY, and deliver comment at https://bit.ly/34sJ4gS.

An environmental assessment of the rehabilitation/replacement project will likely be prepared for public review and comment later this year, according to the NPS.