White Bird bridge to get $3M facelift
Apr. 22—A $3 million preservation project on the 811-foot-long White Bird bridge on U.S. Highway 95 is scheduled to begin this month or early May, the Idaho Transportation Department announced Friday.
Workers from Royal Bridge, a Florida-based contractor that specializes in bridge services, will be sandblasting and repainting the tall bridge with its original soft-yellow color to preserve the historic aesthetic of the structure.
The piers of the bridge are metal, so they will also need to be repainted to be protected from rust. This maintenance is important for safety, preserving state infrastructure, and extending the lifespan of the bridge.
The public should expect minimal traffic delays, the transportation department said. Extra caution is encouraged when crews are working on the upper bridge deck and rails.
Curtis Arnzen, resident engineer with the transportation department, said the goal is to preserve the signature bridge as long as possible. Replacement of the bridge would be cost-prohibitive, Arnzen said. Painting the bridge's structural steel will help eliminate rust that would eventually reduce the bridge's lifespan.
A June 17, 1975, article in the Lewiston Morning Tribune written by Kevin Roche documented the festive opening of the White Bird bridge, presided over by then-Gov. Cecil Andrus:
"The new Whitebird hill highway and bridge were opened for traffic Monday by Gov. Cecil Andrus, marking the end of a 60-year war on the most prominent symbol of division between northern and southern Idaho.
"With all the color and fanfare of a peace treaty conference, Andrus and a company of state officials hailed the $8.5 million project as 'one of the most important things to happen in Idaho this decade.'
"Perched atop a flatbed truck from the Division of Highways — replete with flags and bunting — Andrus and others spoke to a crowd of more than 300 who had made one last trip down the grade.
"The anxious mob clustered at the south end of the sleek steel and concrete bridge, which is unlike any other structure in the world.
"After brief dedication services, Andrus got behind the wheel of the governor's big black limousine — Idaho license No. 1 — and piloted the car through a paper barricade declaring, 'End of the goat trail.'"
It was Andrus, the article said, who had coined the phrase "goat trail" to describe U.S. Highway 95. As a state senator from Orofino, Andrus had lobbied the Legislature for years for more funds to improve the northern end of the highway and the campaign figured prominently in his bid for governor.
Andrus noted that 98 years earlier the Nez Perce War raged in the lower crevices of White Bird hill.
"Like the mighty Nez Perce," Andrus said, "we've won a battle here today with this dedication."
Roche wrote that the new 7.2-mile grade "eliminates from the old road nearly five miles, more than 15 minutes driving time and countless beads of sweat."
Andrus also predicted that the new highway would improve communications and commerce between north and south Idaho.
Guests at the ceremony included Carl C. Moore, chairman of the Idaho Transportation Board; Darrel V. Manning, director of the transportation department; and the Rev. Jack Pinkley of the Grangeville Christian Church who said the road would be "a giant step in uniting this state. We receive it as a beautiful addition to our beautiful state."
Hedberg may be contacted at khedberg@lmtribune.com.
