TACOMA - Late tomorrow afternoon, the semi-submersible ship SWAN will move from its current location at Commencement Bay to the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge. The SWAN will deliver the first 16 of 46 bridge decks to the bridge site, bringing the process of building the new bridge deck one step closer to completion.
The SWAN will be accompanied by tugs as it glides around Point Defiance and to the bridge. The ship is scheduled to leave Commencement Bay around 4 p.m. Once it reaches the bridge site, crews will moor the SWAN under the west side span of the new bridge, where it will stay around the clock until all its deck sections have been lifted into place. The arrival of the ship and mooring operations are anticipated to take place between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Project staff encourage people to view the progress of the SWAN from any of the below public viewing areas that will provide excellent vantage points. Suggested sites include:
1. Along Ruston Way in Tacoma:
Jack Hyde Park
Old Town Dock
Les Davis Pier and Park
Marine Park
2. Vashon Ferry Dock at Point Defiance Park
3. Owens Beach at Point Defiance Park
4. Various lookouts along Point Defiance Park’s 5-Mile Drive, including:
Dalco
Gig Harbor
Narrows
Bridge
Fort Nisqually
5. Narrows Park, the "official bridge viewing site." Directions to the park can be found at www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr16narrowsbridge/misc/newpark/.
Just getting started
The SWAN is the first of three shipments of bridge deck sections. Throughout the summer, two more shipments of deck sections will arrive, each with another 15 deck sections. The deck sections on average weigh 450 tons and measure 120 feet long by 78 feet wide by 30 feet deep.
Navigational restrictions
Once the SWAN is in place, mariners must continue to pay particular attention to bridge construction activities. The United States Coast Guard will enforce the 500-foot restricted area and safety zones around the SWAN, construction barge MARMAC, and the area under bridge cranes that will be used in deck-lifting operations. All mariners transiting through the Tacoma Narrows are urged to proceed with extreme caution and follow all U. S. Coast Guard navigational restrictions.
Driver safety
When driving across the bridge during tomorrow afternoon’s commute, WSDOT urges SR 16 motorists to put their safety first and keep their eyes on the road, as usual. WSDOT also asks pedestrians to avoid walking across the bridge to see the ship arrive, and instead to visit Narrows Park. Directions to Narrows Park can be found at www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr16narrowsbridge/misc/newpark/.
Future deck-lifting media event
The first deck lift off the SWAN is expected to occur sometime during the first two weeks of July. Media will be invited to join representatives of design-builder Tacoma Narrows Constructors and the Washington State Department of Transportation to watch that event. As time draws nearer, details about the event will be provided.