Date:
Monday, June 04, 2007
Contact:
Theresa Gren, Hood Canal Bridge Communications Manager, (253) 305-6428
TACOMA – The Hood Canal Bridge Project construction reached a major milestone this week-- by passing the halfway point. The project continues to move forward as WSDOT and its contractor, Kiewit-General (K-G), placed the tenth bridge anchor on the Canal floor, and crews completed 80 percent of cycle-two (out of four cycles) pontoon construction. These milestones are moving the project closer to the May–June 2009 bridge closure and east-half replacement date.
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 through late June): In late June, the remaining ten anchors will leave the floating dry dock at Todd Pacific Shipyards in Seattle to start their life in the water.
- Anchor Setting (Now through Sept): Through September (August?), WSDOT and K-G crews will lower the 1,000+ ton, 29-foot tall anchors to the bottom of Hood Canal with specialized anchor-setting equipment.
- Cycle Two Pontoon Construction (Now through July.): Five more pontoons are scheduled to float from Concrete Technology Corp. in Tacoma this July to Seattle. Eight of the 14 new pontoons will be constructed with the completion of this milestone.
- Draw Span Assembly (Now through October): 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 on replacing the east-half 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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