Date:
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Contact:
Myly Posse, WSDOT Communications, (206) 440-4788 (Seattle)
Travis Phelps, WSDOT Communications, (206) 440-4470
SEATTLE – WSDOT bridge crews worked through the night to repair broken bridge bolts and do thorough safety checks. They reopened the bridge at 4:06 a.m., in time for the morning commute.
“Our goal was to finish our work before the morning drive, but we absolutely had to make sure the bridge was safe to use,” said Rick Rodda, WSDOT Bridge Engineer.
The bridge closed at 5:10 Wednesday afternoon after on-site inspectors heard unusual noises. Those noises prompted a closer look inside the mechanical parts of the draw pontoons. They found one bolt sheared off, several loose bolts, and flaking paint which is an indication of weakening steel. They immediately closed the bridge to conduct the safety check and work on repairs.
Overnight, they replaced 16 bolts and performed ultrasound checks on the eight guide rollers to look for any stress fractures.
“The good news is we found no internal cracks. We determined the bridge was safe to reopen,” said Rodda.
The damage was confined to the mechanical parts of the bridge. Engineers found no structural or electrical problems. Engineers believe last night’s fix has solved the problem and no further work will be required.
“We do weekly inspections of the electrical and mechanical systems on this bridge. We do a lot of preventive maintenance,” said Rodda. “That’s why we are able to catch these things early.”
Engineers are directly linking the broken bolts to yesterday’s high winds. Winds on the bridge were clocked at 45 miles per hour sustained and gusts up to 60 mile per hour. The threshold for closing the bridge is 50 miles per hour for 15 minutes or more. But because this storm came in from the south-southwest, that put a different kind of pressure on the bridge. Crews headed out to the decks early in anticipation of a possible closure.
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Drivers can now get real time traffic and weather information by dialing 5-1-1 from most phones. This new traveler information system builds upon the highly successful Washington State Highway hotline that managed 4.6 million calls each year. Callers can also use 5-1-1 to get statewide construction, mountain pass condition, and state ferry system information, as well as toll free numbers for passenger rail and airlines. TTY users can call 1-800-833-6388.
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