Hansen Road demolition about halfway completed
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 hours, 46 minutes AGO
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 31, 2026 3:30 AM
MOSES LAKE — Construction crews working to demolish the Hansen Road overpass are halfway through the job.
Crews were out Thursday morning demolishing the north end of the overpass while traffic negotiated Interstate 90. Westbound traffic is using the Hansen Road offramp and onramp as a detour, while eastbound traffic is reduced to one lane on I-90. The eastbound lanes shift as different parts of the bridge are demolished.
The eastbound offramp at Hansen Road will be inaccessible during demolition. Drivers heading eastbound who want to access the south side of the freeway will use the Hiawatha Road exit and North Frontage Road. The eastbound onramp to I-90 from Pritchard Road will be unaffected.
Some traffic restrictions will remain in place once construction of the new bridge starts. Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction around the bridge, and speeds are reduced in the construction zone. The lane closures will stay in place through the duration of the project, which is scheduled for completion in late 2026.
The bridge was closed in January after an inspection revealed significant damage. Washington Department of Transportation officials ultimately opted to replace it and put the project on an accelerated timeline.
The height of summer is also the height of construction season, and a lot of projects are in full swing. At least one Moses Lake project is nearing completion.
Work is expected to wrap up late next week on a water main replacement project impacting traffic on Stratford Road. Crews are working at night to reduce traffic impacts.
Crews will be working from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily. They are replacing an aging waterline embedded in the bridge, which requires removing the guardrail on the west side. One lane is closed in each direction while crews are on site.
A section of Jackrabbit Street, aka M Street Northwest, east of Quincy High School, is closed to traffic while the road is rebuilt.
The work is being done by two housing developers working on projects on either side of the road. Road improvements are required as part of the development, and City Engineer Ariel Belino said it would be more cost-effective to do the necessary work on the utility infrastructure while the road was under construction. The city will be paying $1.9 million for the work, which includes adding water and sewer mains as well as infrastructure for water reclamation.
Belino said the project area starts at Sixth Avenue and ends near the intersection of Columbia Way.
Drivers will be encountering chip-sealing projects on SR 281, the primary route from Quincy to George. Sebastian Moraga, communications consultant with the WSDOT North Central region, said chip-sealing work also is underway on sections of SR 17 south of Moses Lake.
“The chip-seal project is expected to be done in September,” Moraga wrote in an answer to an email from the Columbia Basin Herald.
A loader removes earth around the north side of the Hansen Road overpass.ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Hansen Road demolition about halfway completed
MOSES LAKE — Construction crews working to demolish the Hansen Road overpass are halfway through the job. Crews were out Thursday morning demolishing the north end of the overpass while traffic negotiated Interstate 90. Westbound traffic is using the Hansen Road offramp and onramp as a detour, while eastbound traffic is reduced to one lane on I-90. The eastbound lanes shift as different parts of the bridge are demolished.
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