Date:  Tuesday, December 16, 2008

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

VANCOUVER – Progress on the Hood Canal Bridge Project rolled forward yesterday when the second of two transition trusses were moved out of the construction hangar at Oregon Iron Works in Vancouver, Wash. using massive hydraulic-powered rollers.

The completed east truss, which is 288-feet long, 71-feet wide and 40-feet tall, is so large that the face of the hangar it was built in had to be temporarily removed so the truss could be safely maneuvered outside.

Eight hours of careful coordination brought the east truss to rest next to the completed west truss. Oregon Iron Works crews will place concrete for the roadway and reinforce the structure before the truss is transported to Port Gamble Bay in 2009.

The new truss’ 24-42 inch diameter tubular members were constructed like those used on oil derricks because they will handle the harsh marine environment of the Hood Canal well, are designed to provide strength without adding excessive weight, and accommodate the movements of the floating bridge it adjusts to tidal changes.

Both the east and west trusses are 30 feet wider than the existing structures that currently connect the Hood Canal Bridge pontoons to the approach spans in Jefferson and Kitsap counties.

“The innovative construction and wider design of the trusses will allow WSDOT to add two additional lanes to the bridge in the future without having to replace these spans,” said Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond, who visited Oregon Iron Works earlier this month. “So much of the work on the floating pontoons and trusses took place off site. At long last this project will become more visible as the bridge components are fit together at the Hood Canal.”

Each truss will be transported by barge to Port Gamble Bay next February and March in preparation for the May-June 2009 Hood Canal Bridge replacement. The replacement project – which is 87 percent complete and on schedule – will improve the existing structure, making it wider, safer and more reliable. For more information about the project, and to find out about travel options during the six-week bridge closure, visit http://www.hoodcanalbridge.com/.

Editor’s Note: Watch the time-lapse video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfazfKRmk_0.

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