(The Center Square) – Republican lawmakers proposed a plan Tuesday that could restore access to the Fairfax Bridge “as soon as possible” after the state shut down the gateway to Mount Rainier last April.
The 103-year-old historic crossing is located a few miles away from Wilkeson, an old logging town that depends on tourists stopping by on their way to Mount Rainier National Park. The local economy came to a near halt last spring after the Washington State Department of Transportation closed the bridge.
Rep. Andrew Barkis, R-Olympia, and Rep. Josh Penner, R-Orting, proposed House Bill 2149 on Tuesday, which would declare an emergency and direct WSDOT to restore access “as soon as possible.” There’s no timeline attached; instead, it prioritizes Fairfax as WSDOT faces a backlog of bridge maintenance.
“Wilkeson has been working closely with local, regional, and state leaders, emergency management, and agency partners to make sure the impacts of the Fairfax Bridge closure are fully understood and addressed,” Wilkeson Mayor-elect Jayme Peloli posted to Facebook. “House Bill 2149 is the result.”
Peloli sent records to the Office of the Washington State Auditor in October that uncovered decades of deferred preservation on the bridge. State Auditor Pat McCarthy responded last month with a letter to Gov. Bob Ferguson and Peloli, noting plans for a potential audit in 2026 around some of her concerns.
“State agencies had two decades of warnings, a documented rehab plan dated 2010, and repeated findings of ‘advanced corrosion,’” Peloli wrote in her report. “Instead of acting, diverted funds went to urban mobility projects, leaving rural residents cut off from schools, jobs and emergency access.”
Ferguson met with Peloli and other officials in Wilkeson on Sunday to discuss their ongoing challenges.
WSDOT says it would cost about $80 million just to tear down the Fairfax bridge and buy out a handful of landowners across the Carbon River. Rebuilding the bridge could cost between $100 million and $785 million, depending on the option the state chooses, and would take several years to complete.
HB 2149 attempts to speed that up by giving WSDOT authority to expedite planning and construction, including the ability to waive or suspend certain statutory and regulatory requirements. Those include: liability provisions for participation in interlocal agreements, inspection fees and taxes, among others.
The proposal also identifies a funding source for the project: revenue from the Climate Commitment Act.
Democrats passed the CCA 2021 to cap the amount of emissions companies can emit, unless they buy additional allowances, which are typically passed on to consumers at the gas pump and at the register.
Republicans want to ditch the law because of its impact on the cost of living, but without the votes to do so, some are switching gears and proposing alternatives to CCA revenue. HB 2149 would allow the state to fully fund the replacement using CCA revenue, while essentially blaming the closure on climate change.
“The bill does not lock the state into a single design or timeline,” Peloli wrote online. “It keeps the focus on restoring access as quickly and safely as possible, while permanent replacement planning continues.”
