Date:
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Contact:
Theresa Gren, Hood Canal Bridge Communications Manager, (253) 305-6428
TACOMA – Spring is here and so is the busiest construction season in the life of the Hood Canal Bridge Project. The season has kicked into high gear. WSDOT and Kiewit-General (K-G) just completed the first top pour on one of the five bridge pontoons under construction at Concrete Technology Corp. in Tacoma and have passed the half-way point on cycle two pontoon construction. These milestones are moving the project closer to the May – June 2009 bridge closure and east-half replacement date.
The active work pace is evident by the parade of concrete trucks bringing approximately 8,000 cubic yards of concrete to complete the floors, walls and top sections on the cycle two pontoons. Hood Canal Bridge construction work for pontoons, anchors and the steel transition spans is moving forward at five different locations this summer.
Upcoming construction highlights are:
- Anchor Construction (Now-June): The color of the final 10 east-half anchors is changing from yellow to grey as WSDOT and K-G crews fill the metal forms with concrete. In June, the anchors will leave the floating dry dock at Todd Pacific Shipyards in Seattle to start their life in the water.
- Anchor Setting (April-Sept.): Specialized anchor setting equipment arrived at the Hood Canal this week. From May through September, WSDOT and K-G crews will lower the 1,000+ ton, 29-foot tall anchors to the bottom of Hood Canal.
- Pontoon Construction (Now-Aug.): Five more pontoons are scheduled to float from Concrete Technology Corp. in Tacoma this summer to Seattle. Eight of the 14 new pontoons will be constructed with the completion of this milestone.
- Draw Span Assembly (starting in June): At Seattle’s Todd Pacific Shipyards, the pontoons will start being assembled together like puzzle pieces to form the “U” shaped draw span.
WSDOT and K-G are focused on completing a quality project on-time and complete the east-half bridge replacement during the May – June 2009 bridge closure.
Each day 20,000 vehicles travel over the 1.5 mile Hood Canal Bridge, making this world’s longest floating bridge over salt water vital to the economic and social success of the region. To learn more about the Hood Canal Bridge Project, visit www.hoodcanalbridge.com.
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