Date:
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Contact:
Theresa Gren, Hood Canal Bridge Communications, (253) 305-6428
SEATTLE – Think Legos, only on a much grander scale.
WSDOT and Kiewit-General construction crews earlier this week guided the last underwater draw span pontoon beneath seven other new east-half Hood Canal Bridge draw span pontoons –and today continued working to secure it in place. Crews plan to complete the job Saturday.
This work at Todd Pacific Shipyards in Seattle is the last step in assembling eight pontoons into the U-shaped draw span unit for the world’s longest floating bridge over saltwater.
The latest pontoon, named YD, weighs about seven million pounds, is 60 feet long,152 feet wide, and 16 feet tall. It has eight cylindrical extensions that fit into the pontoons above in a Lego-like manner. The linking process required submerging pontoon YD, positioning the other seven draw span pontoons on top of YD, then raising YD into place.
Pontoon YD is one of three pontoons that keeps the two sides of the U-shaped draw span from twisting and turning when the retractable portion opens and closes.
Completing the new east-half draw span is the most complicated component of this project. The two retractable pontoons will be joined together and installed in the middle of the U-shaped draw span after the third cycle of pontoon construction is completed in early 2008. In May 2008, construction begins on new columns and the roadway for the top of these 10 connected pontoons. Electrical and mechanical parts that operate the draw span will then be installed.
“It is exciting to see this important project moving ahead toward the 2009 replacement date,” said Secretary of Transportation Paula Hammond. “We are making progress to deliver what we promised to the community - a safer, more reliable bridge.”
Each day 20,000 vehicles travel over the 1.5-mile Hood Canal Bridge, which is vital to the economic and social success of the region. To learn more about the Hood Canal Bridge Project, visit http://www.hoodcanalbridge.com/.
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