Backhoe strikes Front Street overpass, stops traffic for hours

Sometimes a well-meaning highway overpass just can't catch a break.

By Daniel Nash • April 9, 2016 11:11 pm
Courtesy of Issaquah Police Department A backhoe struck the Interstate 90 overpass over Front Street Saturday.
Courtesy of Issaquah Police Department A backhoe struck the Interstate 90 overpass over Front Street Saturday.

Sometimes a well-meaning highway overpass just can’t catch a break.

A backhoe’s arm struck the bottom of the Interstate 90 bridge over Front Street in Issaquah Saturday evening and was stuck for about two hours.

Crews from the state Department of Transportation responded to assess the damage, while city police directed traffic. Several lanes of Front Street were blocked from travel during the work.

WSDOT inspectors declared the overpass safe for the evening with plans to return Sunday to evaluate the bridge further. Photos from the City of Issaquah Twitter account show scrapes in the concrete where the arm struck the overpass.

The backhoe arm struck the bridge literally feet away from the hole left behind by a truck collision in March 2015. Repairs to that damage are scheduled for no later than May, according to a WSDOT spokesperson who spoke with the Reporter last week.