Date:  Friday, June 27, 2008

Contact: Joe Irwin, Hood Canal Bridge Communications, 253-305-6412
             Becky Hixson, Hood Canal Bridge Communications, 253-305-6450

TACOMA – Today Washington State Department of Transportation and Kiewit-General crews reached their biggest milestone since Hood Canal Bridge pontoon construction began three years ago – they completed the final concrete pour on the last of the 14 new Hood Canal Bridge pontoons.

The final concrete pour started at 5:22 a.m. and wrapped up about 11:20 a.m. at Concrete Technology Corporation (CTC) in Tacoma. The 430 cubic yards placed for the top slab on pontoon W brought the total concrete used in pontoon construction to more than 29,000 cubic yards. That’s enough to pave one lane of highway 12.3 miles, roughly from Seattle to Renton, in one foot of concrete.

“This marks the end of a huge collective effort,” said WSDOT site manager Dewayne Matlock. “The scale of the pontoon construction was enormous, and with it completed, we can focus on getting the pontoons up to Seattle for outfitting.”

After post-tensioning work – or high-strength reinforcement – is conducted, pontoons U and W will be floated from CTC to Todd Pacific Shipyards in Seattle in early August. There they will be outfitted with columns, roadway, electrical equipment and mechanical parts.

Construction of pontoons U and W – which measure 360 feet long, 60 feet wide and 18 feet tall, and 325 feet long, 60 feet wide and 18 feet tall, respectively – marks the end of the fourth and final pontoon cycle. It is also another milestone reached on the way to the east-half bridge replacement process scheduled to occur during the six-week Hood Canal Bridge closure in May-June 2009.

The Hood Canal Bridge retrofit and replacement project will improve the existing structure, making it wider, safer and more reliable. For more information, visit http://www.hoodcanalbridge.com/.

                                    # # #

< Back to News Home