SR 504 bridge replacement on pause until September

Work to install bridge girders and continue rebuilding access to Johnston Ridge Observatory will resume in early fall

TOUTLE - Work to permanently replace the State Route 504 Spirit Lake Outlet Bridge is temporarily pausing while crews wait for new bridge girders to be ready for installation. Crews will return to work in late September to place the girders and continue rebuilding the stretch of SR 504-also known as Spirit Lake Memorial Highway-that leads to Johnston Ridge Observatory at Mount St. Helens.

Since construction began in April, crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation have:

• Removed the remaining damaged bridge structure.
• Installed a temporary bridge to access the construction site.
• Started building the new bridge's foundations.

The pause allows time for the new steel bridge girders to be built and inspected before crews install them. These large support beams are a key part of the bridge structure and will support the weight of the new bridge deck and vehicles traveling across it.

When construction resumes, crews will:

• Backfill the pier foundations.
• Install the bridge girders.
• Build the new two-lane bridge and roadway.

When the bridge girders are in place, crews will continue building the bridge, including placing the concrete bridge deck and installing bridge railings. Work will then pause again until spring 2027 when warmer, drier weather allows crews to pave the roadway and complete the project.

Once bridge construction is complete, the U.S. Forest Service will begin restoring Johnston Ridge Observatory, including repairing power systems and completing other essential work before reopening the observatory to visitors. Once both projects are complete, travelers will once again be able to drive the full length of SR 504 to Johnston Ridge Observatory and experience the volcanic landscape shaped by the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption.

Work on this $2.63 million project is scheduled for completion in spring 2027.