State Route 26 open for travel

JAYCE CARRAL, Evergreen reporter

Distant and local travelers no longer need to take the 32-mile detour east of Othello on State Route 26.

The Washington State Department of Transportation allowed traffic to pass through the new bridge deck on Friday after the concrete barrier rails were cured, according to the WSDOT website.

Specialty crews finished curbing and guardrail work before noon, and they painted temporary striping and deck pavement grooving, according to the website.

The project was scheduled to finish by Nov. 21, according to the website. The construction began because the bridge reached a level of decay and was extended because the cement did not fully cure due to the weather.

The bridge is the route taken when traveling from Western Washington University to WSU, according to the website. The project cost $1.2 million and took more than eight weeks to reach completion.