Structural faults found in Priest River’s Merritt Bridge

By Soncirey Mitchell
Reader Staff

The Bonner County Board of Commissioners declared an emergency loss of access for Merritt Bridge in Priest River on Aug. 11, following the discovery of “a significant infrastructure failure” in two of its pilings. Weight restrictions are in place, and it is unknown whether the bridge, which extends Wisconsin Street across the Pend Oreille River from Priest River to Dufort Road, will shut down during repairs.

The newly cataloged damage may have been caused by construction or manufacturing defects, or “it may have been impacted,” according to Bonner County Road and Bridge Director Jason Topp.

“Two support pilings are compromised. One is completely sheared through; the other has some cracks in it,” said Topp at the Aug. 11 BOCC meeting. “The failure will necessitate either a significant reduction in access or closure of the Wisconsin Street Merritt bridge.”

The Idaho Transportation Department enlists a dive team to conduct inspections on the underwater pilings every five years, in addition to Bonner County’s above-water inspections every other year. Engineers previously identified a cracked pile, which they drilled into and filled with additional concrete to prevent the cracks from spreading. Road and Bridge received a 2023 federal-aid bridge grant to coat the pilings in an epoxy seal wrap and apply an epoxy driving surface treatment to fix the issue; however, this was before the discovery of the shorn pile. Broader bridge renovations are still in the design phase, with construction scheduled for 2027, but the county will move forward with immediate repairs to the shorn pile.

Following ITD’s instructions, Road and Bridge has instituted a weight restriction of 105,500 lbs per vehicle and is conducting weekly inspections to monitor the bridge’s deterioration until the necessary materials arrive for the repairs, approximately two weeks from Aug. 11. Workers will then dig approximately four feet below the river bed to install and weld a jacket around the base before filling it with “an aggregate or concrete.”

Engineers from Boise-based Marine Solutions are currently assessing the bridge and will determine the need for future restrictions or closure in the coming days. Repairs will take an estimated two weeks.

For future updates, visit bonnercountyid.gov/departments/roadbridge/current-news.