Owl nesting season may delay critical project as Wilkeson suffers under red tape

(The Center Square) – The town of Wilkeson knows it may take years before the state puts real money behind rebuilding the Fairfax Bridge — or tearing down the historic gateway to Mount Rainier National Park and buying out the nearby landowners for around $50 million.

But the $7 million environmental review to consider whether that’s feasible might extend the local crisis even further due to some birds.​

The Washington State Department of Transportation announced earlier this month that it’s moving into the design and environmental review phase after a study last year resulted in two options. Some other ideas were thrown around, but they would require another few hundred million dollars from the taxpayer.

A proposal filed this week could clear the red tape, but it’ll take a compromise in a divided Legislature.​

The 104-year-old bridge was built in an era with far less regulat...