Tri-Cities Blue Bridge Maintenance Project Delayed

The day 66,000 drivers in the Tri-Cities have been dreading is almost here as crews will officially begin work on Phase 2 of painting the Pioneer Memorial Bridge, more commonly known as the 'Blue' Bridge.

Get our free mobile app

The four lane bridge, which took three years to build (from 1951 to 1954), was needed as the two lane Green Bridge could no longer handle the amount of traffic between Pasco and Kennewick on it's own.

Interesting to note, the Pioneer Memorial Bridge was originally green at the time of it's dedication in 1954.  It was later painted it's present day blue during one of it's subsequent maintenance schedules.

What You Need to Know About the Painting Schedule

It will begin Wednesday February 28th and will initially impact Southbound 395.   Washington State Department of Transportation workers will close the right lane from roughly 7am to 6pm for the next several weeks.  Closure of the Northbound lane will follow.

WSDOT recommends using the The Cable Bridge on US 397 (Ed Hendler Bridge) and the 182 Bridges (Lee-Volpentest Bridges) to help alleviate congestion on the Blue Bridge.  Here's the catch...

The Phase 2 Painting of the Blue Bridge is expected to last the duration of 2024 into early 2025 if no further delays are incurred.  The painting is necessary for the bridge to maintain structural integrity.

Workers will strip off the old paint, clean and repaint the exposed metal, and paint the entire bridge to help fight against corrosion.  Crews will also perform other maintenance, like replacing rivets, where needed.

The last time the Blue Bridge, as a whole, was painted was 1994.  Be prepared for slow moving for the next 12 months on the busiest bridge in the area, but above all, bring your patience as you'll most likely need it.