Date:
Monday, February 27, 2006
Contact:
Melanie Coon, Public Information Officer, (206) 440-4700 (Seattle)
(206) 437-6314 24-hour number
SEATTLE – The State Route 520 Evergreen Point Floating Bridge has reopened to traffic after a scheduled closure for repair work on the mechanical drawspan system. A detailed inspection of the bridge following the Feb. 4 wind storm revealed a small crack in part of the steel assembly that supports a guide roller under one corner of the east drawspan.
Crews used a 40 ton crane and a 20 ton boom truck to remove and replace the damaged piece. Work progressed smoothly and crews were able to work quickly to open the bridge 15 hours ahead of original estimates. Crews worked steadily and made great progress throughout the day Saturday. They were able to get the crane in place quickly and remove the damaged part before noon. There were no delays during the most critical part of the work, which allowed them to jump ahead of schedule.
During midday and late afternoon they worked to get the replacement part installed and had little difficulty moving things into place. Towards evening, they started putting everything back together and reopened the bridge.
Crews needed the around-the-clock closure because of the heavy equipment required to install the new part. The more lengthy closure allowed crews to safely bring in heavy equipment and work continuously to remove and replace the part.
Although the crack was minor, the repairs were necessary immediately because heavy traffic and large vehicles could make the small crack larger, possibly causing the part to fail and ultimately affecting the normal operation of the drawspan system.
With repairs complete, the bridge can now be opened for boat traffic. The drawspan has been closed to boat traffic since Feb. 13. An official Notice to Mariners will be issued to and through the US Coast Guard.
Progress reports about the repair work are available on our Highway Weather Impacts web page: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Traffic/Weather/updates/default.htm.
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