CHELAN FALLS – The Beebe bridge remains closed after being hit and damaged Monday by a tractor-trailer.
     Driver Kathleen L. Walker, 48, Olympia, was killed in the crash. A man believed to be riding with her remains missing after the truck’s cab plunged into the Columbia River.
     The crash left a bridge support damaged and boxes of apples strewn across the bridge.
     State Department of Transportation spokesman Jeff Adamson said the bridge won’t be open for several more days.
     “Don't expect even pedestrians to be allowed on it until we can stabilize the sagging, which will likely take at least a couple of days,” he said.
     “We got the trailer cut apart from the bridge structures and dragged it away about 1:30 p.m.” on Tuesday, he said. “Since then, both our bridge engineers and some experts from KLM Inc. have been assessing the damage and how it might be fixed.”
     A plan and timetable should be formulated sometime today, Sept. 2.
     “I am told the detour is working fairly well in that there's a significant increase in traffic downtown in Chelan, however, there are apparently people who are following their GPS and ignoring the electronic message signs.”