Interstate 90 to be closed beginning July 27 for Hansen Bridge demolition
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 months AGO
Interstate 90 will be closed for several days beginning July 27 as crews demolish the existing Hansen Road bridge.
CALEB PEREZ/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | July 4, 2026 1:05 AM
MOSES LAKE — Drivers on Interstate 90 in Moses Lake should be prepared for detours beginning July 27 as the freeway is closed temporarily to demolish the Hansen Road overpass. The closure is expected to last several days.
Summer Derrey, communications consultant for the Washington Department of Transportation, said preparation work starts Tuesday and will involve some traffic restrictions in the construction zone.
“Drivers will experience weekday intermittent lane closures until demolition of the bridge begins on July 27,” Derrey wrote in a WSDOT press release Friday.
Drivers will experience some slowdowns with traffic being funneled into one lane.
Demolition, however, will require completely closing the freeway, Derrey said.
“There will be a full closure for several days with detours in place,” she said.
Drivers heading westbound have it relatively easy – they can use the offramp and onramp at Hansen Road to get back on the freeway. It’s a little more complicated for eastbound traffic. They will be required to take the Hiawatha Road Northeast exit, about seven miles west of Moses Lake. Drivers then use South Frontage Road to get back on the freeway just east of the Hansen Road overpass.
Westbound drivers who are trying to access businesses and residences on the south side of I-90 also will be required to use Hiawatha Road and South Frontage Road.
“Once the bridge is demolished and construction of the new bridge starts, I-90 will reopen to traffic, but will have single-lane closures 24/7. Signs will guide travelers through the construction zone,” Derrey said
The traffic restrictions will remain the same for drivers trying to access the south side of I-90 at the intersection. Eastbound travelers will be able to get off and back onto the freeway at Hansen Road, but westbound drivers will have to use Hiawatha Road and South Frontage Road.
Local drivers, of course, know that the overpass was closed Jan. 17 after an inspection discovered extensive damage. Ultimately, WSDOT officials decided to replace it with a new bridge.
“Crews will work on an accelerated timeline during construction and hope to have the new overpass open to the public as early as late December or early January,” Derrey wrote.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
GCFD 8 firefighter sustains minor injuries when hit by car
MATTAWA — A Grant County Fire District 8 officer sustained minor injuries Wednesday when he was hit by a driver subsequently arrested for DUI. Battalion Chief Doug Anderson and GCFD 8 crews were on the scene of a non-injury collision at about 10:30 p.m. when a car drove through the crash scene, according to a media release from the Grant County Sheriff's Office. The driver, Jorge Ramirez Suarez, 33, Mattawa, allegedly drove through the crash scene, hit Anderson in the leg, and kept going without stopping, according to the GCSO. He was subsequently booked into the Grant County Adult Correctional Facility on suspicion of DUI, vehicular assault and hit-and-run. Anderson was treated at the scene. He joined GCFD 8 in 1998 as a volunteer firefighter, said Barb Davis, the district's business manager, and is still a volunteer. He has served as a GCFD 8 captain, assistant chief and interim chief, as well as battalion chief.
Comment period still open for 2027 Grant PUD budget
EPHRATA — Grant County Public Utility District customers can still submit their opinions on the proposed 2027 budget in writing on the PUD website until the budget is adopted. Utility district commissioners are scheduled to vote on the final budget Nov. 24. The PUD is projected to spend $738.1 million in 2027, according to a presentation at the budget hearing Oct. 27. That's about a 5% increase over the 2026 budget. Some of those expenses will be offset by money the PUD gets from its customers and from selling power to outside customers. That's projected to be about $224.6 million.
Two hospitalized after collision near Othello
OTHELLO — Two people were injured and hospitalized when a car collided with a semitruck about 12 miles west of Othello Wednesday morning. According to a press memo from the Washington State Patrol, Leslie Villalobos, 23, was driving south on Road D Southeast at about 8:15 a.m. when she failed to slow down at the intersection. Rigoberto Pruneda, 41, Othello, was driving west on SR 26 when Villalobos's car entered the intersection, the WSP memo said. Trooper Jeremy Weber, WSP District 6 public information officer, said Pruneda attempted to steer out of the way of her vehicle, which is difficult to do in a semitruck.