A 103-year-old bridge that links small gateway towns to the northwest section of Mount Rainier National Park has been closed since April, and state transportation officials say they currently lack a viable funding source to replace it — raising the prospect that towns could be permanently cut off from park access and the tourist revenue they depend on.
Engineers discovered new deterioration of steel supports on the Fairfax Bridge, which connects the towns of Wilkeson and Carbonado to park access roads. The Washington State Department of Transportation has identified two feasible options: remove the existing bridge or build a replacement in a location north of the current crossing. Both choices carry high price tags and multi-year timelines.
WSDOT officials say removal could cost between $70 million and $80 million, in addition to about $46.6 million estimated to compensate private landowners who would lose access if the crossing is taken out. Removal work alone would take roughly three years, the agency has estimated. Constructing a new bridge in a different location would add about $160 million and roughly six years of work. The department has allocated $1.5 million to study options but has no construction budget for either course.
"We continue to work with state leaders to share our needs and the risks associated with those needs being unmet," WSDOT Communications Manager Cara Mitchell said in a statement. "The State Legislature sets the transportation budget. Prior budgets passed by the legislature have not provided funding to replace or make repairs to the bridge."
Local leaders and residents warned of immediate economic and safety impacts if the crossing remains closed. Wilkeson and Carbonado together have just over 1,000 residents, and town officials say much of the local economy depends on visitors accessing the 93-mile Wonderland Trail and other park destinations through the crossing. If the bridge is not replaced, the northwest corner of Mount Rainier National Park would be virtually impassable to vehicles, accessible only to backpackers on lengthy trails.
"For a lot of people here, it feels like an existential issue because the community itself is so deeply connected to the land and the visitors it brings," Wilkeson Town Council member Jayme Peloli said. Peloli, a lifelong resident who joined the council in June, launched a petition asking state legislators to issue an emergency declaration for the Fairfax Bridge closure. The petition had more than 10,000 signatures as of Tuesday morning and highlights concerns about delayed emergency responses and longer trips for groceries, schools and hospitals for residents south of the bridge.
Peloli pointed to recent actions by Gov. Bob Ferguson as precedent, noting the governor used unclaimed lottery funds to repair a road into Olympic National Park's Hoh Rain Forest and issued an emergency declaration to speed repairs to the White River Bridge earlier this year. White River Bridge work is set to conclude in late September. Ferguson's office, however, has said an emergency declaration is not possible for the Fairfax Bridge under current federal reimbursement rules.
Residents who live beyond the closed crossing described isolation and infrastructure vulnerabilities. Many homes rely on solar or small hydropower systems, landline service damaged in earlier storms remains unrepaired, and cell coverage is unreliable. "The people who live out here are here for a reason. We like a more remote life away from the chaos of the world," said 66-year-old homeowner Jill Cartwright, who lives past the closed bridge. "But we aren't selfish, and this isn't just about us. The public lands we love are at stake, and we all know that once they close, they'll never be the same."
Town officials also described the long-term decline of on-site park resources that once supported local economies, including the removal of a ranger contact station that handed out passes and loss of road access to the Ipsut Creek Campground after flooding in 2006.
The closure underscores the budgetary authority of the state Legislature, which sets transportation funding, and places pressure on lawmakers to identify sources to cover tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in potential costs. For now, local officials and residents are pressing state leaders for a solution while assessing short-term safety and access measures as winter approaches and travel conditions could worsen.