Local officials urge the Senate to seek federal emergency designation for closed Fairfax Bridge
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Summary
Residents and local officials told the Senate Transportation Committee that the permanent closure of the Fairfax Bridge on April 22, 2025 has severed emergency and recreational access to Mount Rainier corridors; the joint memorial asks federal leaders to treat replacement as an emergency and consider modifying NEPA timing and historic-status constraints.
The Senate Transportation Committee on Feb. 5 heard appeals from residents and local officials urging the Legislature to press federal authorities to treat the Fairfax Bridge closure as an emergency and speed replacement.
Danny Masterson, committee staff, told senators that the Fairfax Bridge was permanently closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic on 04/22/2025 after inspections found new deterioration of steel supports. He described Senate Joint Memorial 8016 as a request to the President, Congress and U.S. Department of Transportation to recognize the closure and to allow NEPA review to take place concurrently with or after replacement work.
"Families in my community are navigating an infrastructure failure that affects emergency response, economic [travel] and daily safety," Jamie Pololi, mayor of Wilkerson, testified. Pololi urged the governor and federal officials to publicly acknowledge the severity of the situation and to commit to a path forward.
Local users and business owners described lost access to Mount Rainier and regional recreation, strained emergency-response times and negative impacts on tourism-dependent economies. Steve Murphy, a longtime Carbonado resident, said the closure effectively cut neighborhoods and trailheads off from routine access and criticized what he called decades of deferred maintenance.
Remote testifiers, including Nicole Phillips of the Pacific Northwest 4 Wheel Drive Association and Sherry Davis of Pierce County, also testified that the closure has limited wildfire and search-and-rescue response options, stranded prior recreation investments, and imposed economic costs on tiny gateway towns.
Senator Phil Fortunato, prime sponsor of the joint memorial, said the proposal complements a separate state bill by asking federal agencies to expedite review and consider removing the bridge from the historic register if necessary to accelerate replacement.
What happens next: The committee closed the public hearing and made the memorial available for further consideration; no final action was taken on the memorial during the session. Community members urged follow-up and continued legislative advocacy to secure federal attention and funding.
