Date:
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Contact:
Lauren Penning, WSDOT Communications, 206-440-4473 (Seattle)
Tim Ditch, WSDOT Bridge Maintenance, 425-739-3700 (Bellevue)
SEATTLE – Washington State Department of Transportation bridge crews will conduct additional maintenance tests early Thursday morning after the installation of new hydraulic hoses on the State Route 520 Evergreen Point Floating Bridge.
Crews will install the hoses on the east side of drawspan today. Bridge crews will then test to make sure the new hoses operate properly by conducting a series of test openings of the drawspan.
Test openings will begin at 3:00 a.m. and end at 5 a.m. on Thursday, September 20. During this time, drivers can expect the bridge to be closed to traffic intermittently for up to 30 minutes at a time. Drivers will be alerted to "possible 30 minute delays" by electronic signs at either end of the bridge and on highways that lead to the bridge. To avoid delays associated with the closures, drivers can take Interstate 90 across Lake Washington.
The hydraulic hoses transport oil to the lift cylinders that open the drawspan. New hydraulic hoses will be installed on the west side of the drawspan next month before the annual monthly maintenance openings scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 11. This work will help get the bridge ready for storm season.
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