“The damage is to key members of the bridge and has rendered it unsafe to traffic. While we have identified a contractor and are moving forward with expediting this work, it is important to know there is not an easy fix for this kind of damage. There is no temporary fix that will allow us to safely open the bridge,” said DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson, Ph.D. “Our hope was to be able to use a portion of the bridge for traffic while emergency repairs were being made, however, that is not the case. We will be working on plans to make the repairs as quickly as possible and will develop a timeline for when the work will be completed. I know this is an inconvenience for the more than 25,000 travelers who use this bridge, but it is not safe to open it to traffic at this time. The department has worked closely with legislators and local officials to update them on the situation and to try to minimize impacts as much as possible.”