Clark County businesses breathed a sigh of relief with the Sept. 19 opening of the Highway 99 Bridge over Salmon Creek, also known as the Klineline Bridge.
The 80-year-old bridge closed in December 2007 when it was declared unfit for public use. Longview-based Ostrander Rock and Construction rebuilt the $9.2 million structure in about 160 days, a week ahead of schedule.
But during that time, nearby businesses lost sales while traffic detoured around Highway 99.
“We don’t know if we lost customers permanently,” said Kristina McLeskey, co-owner of Beastie Boutique. “We’ll just have to wait and see on that.”
Monthly sales growth at the specialty pet shop was between 10 and 15 percent before the bridge closure, but dropped to about 1.5 percent when customers had to use a detour to get to the business.
To reach customers, McLeskey began offering product delivery. That helped a bit, she said, but the reopening has made the biggest difference.
“Within a day or two after the bridge opened, we saw faces we hadn’t seen in a while,” she said. “They were counting down the seconds.”
Clark County held a bridge dedication Sept. 26 with a parade of business owners.
The new bridge has four lanes, bicycle lanes, sidewalks and two pedestrian overlooks with views of Salmon Creek. The project involved road improvements on Highway 99 from Northeast 117th and Northeast 122nd avenues, plus restoration of more than 650 feet of Salmon Creek.
