Date:  Monday, March 09, 2009

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

PORT GAMBLE – The SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge west truss arrived safely in Port Gamble Bay on Saturday after weathering strong winds and a snowstorm during the last leg of its 352-mile journey from Vancouver, Wash.

With winter weather forecast for the weekend, the Foss Tug Howard Olsen left a day early, departing with the truss in tow about 1 a.m. Friday, March 6, from Oregon Iron Works in Vancouver, Wash. It arrived shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday, March 7, in the bay.

“The trusses are a critical component in improving the overall bridge by making it wider and safer,” said Dave Ziegler, principal engineer for the Hood Canal Bridge Project. “Beating the weather and getting the west truss off-loaded in Port Gamble Bay helps us stay on schedule.”

Three enormous derrick barge cranes will place the truss – which measures approximately 280 feet long, 70 feet wide and 40 feet tall – onto a storage barge March 11. It will be moored in Port Gamble Bay until May 1, when six weeks of construction to replace the Hood Canal Bridge’s east half will begin.

During May, trusses on both bridge ends will be replaced. The new trusses are 30 feet wider, allowing capacity on the bridge to increase from two to four lanes sometime in the future.

The May-June closure will be challenging for travelers, but the Olympic Peninsula will be open for business. WSDOT encourages people to get ready now by reviewing their transportation choices. “Get around” options include crossing the canal via a water shuttle; the free transit-connecting-bus services and the park and ride lots; taking the Port Townsend/Edmonds evening ferry or the Port Townsend/Keystone ferry; flying from Port Angeles to Seattle; driving around on alternate routes; or utilizing private boat services.

The Hood Canal Bridge retrofit and replacement, which is now 90 percent complete, will improve the existing east half, making it wider, safer and more reliable. For more information, including truss facts and photos, visit http://www.hoodcanalbridge.com/.

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WSDOT keeps people, businesses and the economy moving by operating and improving the state's transportation systems. To learn more about what we're doing, go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/news for pictures, videos, news and blogs. Real time traffic information is available at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic or by dialing 5-1-1.

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