Aurora Bridge Getting Seismic Retrofit From WSDOT

The seismic retrofit will cost more than $5 million.

The Washington Department of Transportation is focusing on the north and south ends of the bridge where concrete covers and specialized jackets will be placed on the columns to prevent them from failing in an earthquake.

The WSDOT sent KIRO 7 Eyewitness News pictures of support columns showing how a simulated earthquake could cause them to crack.

To keep cracks from happening, the WSDOT is not only wrapping the columns, but also reinforcing steel trusses and concrete girders.

The work will not take place over water, just on areas of the bridge in Fremont and in Queen Anne.

On the north end, WSDOT will use a special fiber-reinforced polymer wrap that will cover the columns. DOT engineers worked with seismic specialists at Washington State University to test the wrap.

The work is supposed to take 18 months and the WSDOT said most of the noisy work, like using jackhammers, will take place during the day.