State Plans $40 Million Bridge Repairs

A $40 million project to reinforce the Deception Pass Bridge against earthquakes and repair structural defects is now part of the Washington State Department of Transportation’s six-year plan. Melissa Ambler, assistant regional administrator for WSDOT’s Northwest Region, confirmed the addition during an October 28 meeting of the Island Regional Transportation Planning Organization’s executive board.

The state has engaged a consultant to work with bridge engineers to define the project’s scope. This work will include seismic retrofits and structural repairs. WSDOT expects to advertise the project for bids in November 2028. The new plan reverses a stance from March 2025, when the department stated it had no funding for seismic improvements recommended in a 2019 engineering study.

The 2019 study, obtained by Oak Harbor resident Robert Sweeton via a public records request, identified deficiencies in secondary structural components and bridge bearings. Engineers recommended approximately $3.2 million in seismic retrofits to ensure emergency vehicles could use the bridges immediately after a major earthquake. The new $40 million scope expands this work to include repairs for wind shoes, floor beams, cracked stringers, and bridge decks.

Ambler noted that the seismic work was added to the six-year plan only about three weeks before the October 28 meeting. This late inclusion surprised some executive board members, who expressed frustration that they had not been informed earlier about such a large project. Board members emphasized the need to keep local governments informed about work affecting the bridges, which serve as the primary highway connection between Whidbey Island and the mainland.

The executive board requested a more detailed presentation from WSDOT’s bridge and structures division, potentially in January or February 2027. Evan Grimm, who discussed the bridges with the organization in June 2025, was mentioned as a possible presenter. Sweeton, a retired government employee who volunteers in emergency communications, began questioning seismic evaluations years before obtaining the 2019 study. In March 2025, he contacted the Whidbey News-Times after an earthquake renewed his concerns.

The two bridges, completed in 1935, carry Highway 20 between Whidbey and Fidalgo islands. Together, they span approximately 1,500 feet above Deception Pass and Canoe Pass. At the October meeting, Oak Harbor resident James Blaisdell urged the board to advocate more actively for the bridges. He suggested pursuing federal defense-related infrastructure funding due to the bridges’ importance to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island and urged recognition of the bridges as critical infrastructure.

The $40 million figure is preliminary, and WSDOT has not announced a construction start date. The precise scope and schedule will depend on engineering work still underway.