Part of the Tri-Cities Blue Bridge is Now Missing: What’s It For?

You may have noticed today that the Blue Bridge between Kennewick and Pasco is suddenly missing some parts. What are they and what are they for?

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Tri-Cities Blue Bridge Missing Parts After DUI Crash

Last night (Wednesday), an alleged drunk driver was driving northbound across the Blue Bridge speeding and lost control. The back end of the truck he was driving spun out and high centering on the bridge divide. The high rate of speed allowed the truck to slide almost 100 yards on the barrier knocking down a long stretch of green poles sitting on the top of the divide like a line of dominos. If you drove over the bridge anytime today, especially at night, you probably noticed that the traffic on the other side of the barrier was much more visible. Turns out that those domino-looking poles are no game but actually help keep the bridge safe to drive over at night.

What Are Those Green Poles on the Blue Bridge

The poles you see on top of the divide on the Blue Bridge are called highway glare screens. "Glare screening may be required on concrete barriers separating two-way traffic to reduce headlight glare from oncoming traffic," says WSDOT. They help keep drivers on either side of the barrier from blinding each other as they cross the large hump of the bridge. I looked online and found a company that sells packages for highway crews to purchase. They sell packages for around 10-foot lengths at a time for around $186. The amount of money it costs to replace around 100 yards of highway glare screens from this company would cost around $5,500 at least. I am sure the DUI truck driver who quickly removed them will have a much larger bill than $5,500 and now I kinda want to know exactly how much. More than the cost of a ride home for sure.