Date:
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Contact:
Lisa Murdock, Communications Manager, (360) 357-2789
HOQUIAM – Starting February 19, 2008, crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will institute a 10-week continuous closure of the Simpson Avenue Bridge that spans the Hoquiam River in Hoquiam. During the bridge closure, US 101 will be detoured. The detour will remain in place through the end of April 2008.
During the bridge closure, crews will upgrade major electrical and mechanical parts that operate the bridge’s drawspan. Many of the parts are original to the 80-year old bridge and in need of replacement. The work also includes removing the original control house from the top of the bridge and installing a new control house.
While construction operations are under way, the bridge’s drawspan will remain open. Mariners will be able to pass under the bridge, but vehicles will be rerouted onto the nearby Riverside Bridge. The Riverside Bridge will be reconfigured to accommodate one lane of traffic in each direction during the 10-week period.
Wanting to minimize disruptions to tourist, commuter and business traffic, WSDOT had originally required prime contractor Rognlins, Inc., to close the bridge between January and March. Rognlins recently informed WSDOT that due to unforeseen delays in fabricating bridge parts, the closure has to be rescheduled about a month later.
The detour route will reduce US 101 traffic capacity by half. “We, along with our contractor, Rognlins, understand the local significance of this route,” said Olympic Region Administrator Kevin Dayton. “Together we are working hard to minimize the impact to travelers.”
More information about the bridge closure and detour route can be found at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/US101/SimpsonBridgeRehab/.
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