[FACT] Tri-Cities Blue Bridge Has Always Been 2 Different Colors

Did you think the US-395 Blue Bridge in Tri-Cities was ALL blue also? I guess we are wrong.

Today I Noticed the US-395 Blue Bridge in Tri-Cities is Not All Blue

I honestly can not tell you how many times I have driven across the Blue Bridge between Kennewick and Pasco, Washington. If I had to guess it would be close to 14,000 times in the 20 years that I have lived in the Tri-Cities and commented for work over that well-known landmark. I have always thought the metal beams were all painted light blue. Even in recent interviews with WSDOT, they claimed the bridge would be painted the original "blue" color. Over the last couple of weeks, there have been major slowdowns with traffic moving less than 10 mph over the bridge as WSDOT repairs and repaints it. Those slowdowns have given me a better chance to look closer at the bridge and I noticed something new today that I had never noticed before.  After doing some digging, I was shocked to realize what I saw had always been there.

Almost 1/3 of the Blue Bridge is Actually Grey

As I dove over the "Blue Bridge" today at less than 10 mph, I noticed large sections were not blue but grey or white. At first, I thought the work crews had just sandblasted the metal beams that were not blue colored, but then saw some that were obviously rusty and not clean but also not blue. I rushed home and searched online for older pictures of the Blue Bridge and sure enough saw the same grey/white coloration. Could the Blue Bridge not really be all blue like I had always thought? I called WSDOT and was immediately forwarded to the main Project Engineer for the SR-395 Blue Bridge Alex Sanguino. I relayed to him my apparent observation on the drive and asked him point blank if the Blue Bridge was not really all blue. He chuckled and confirmed that, unlike most people's perceptions, the Blue Bridge has always been technically blue and grey. I was even more surprised when Alex told me ALL the verticle beams were grey, and all angled beams were blue. Look at the above pictures closely and you can see his is completely correct. He also confirmed the Blue Bridge would be painted in the same blue/grey color scheme and that the work should be completed at the beginning of 2025.