Date:  Thursday, December 30, 2010

Contact:
Joe Irwin, WSDOT Communications, 360-507-6521
Jeff Cook, Project Engineer, 360-874-3010

Completed sewer line work allows bridge construction to resume

BREMERTON – Drivers who regularly use the Manette Bridge on State Route 303 will need to plan alternate routes during two extended bridge closures next week. During the closures, crews will pour 800 cubic yards of concrete to form two new columns, a crossbeam, and the final two drilled shafts for a new bridge.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will close the bridge from 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 5, to 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 7, and again from 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 8, to 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9.

This week, crews successfully relocated an underground sewer line that laid adjacent to the existing bridge but in the way of new bridge piers. Contractor Manson-Mowat began work to relocate the utility line, which had been omitted from the contract plans, in early November. The relocation delayed concrete pours on the pier and added several weeks to the project timeline, but WSDOT is pursuing an aggressive schedule that will allow the project to wrap up on time.

“Completing the utility relocation means we can now focus on placing the concrete in this pier,” said Steve Roark, Asst. Region Administrator. “Getting this and other work done will put us back on track for a late 2011 opening.”

During the extended bridge closures, drivers traveling between Manette and Bremerton can follow a signed detour to the Warren Avenue Bridge, about 1.2 miles to the northwest. Although the Manette Bridge will be closed to vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists will be allowed to use the bridge sidewalk during the closure.

The $57.8 million project started Aug. 2 and will replace the existing bridge between Manette and Bremerton. The project improves travel across the Port Washington Narrows by adding shoulders, widening the pedestrian walkway, constructing a new roundabout in Manette, and expanding the nearby Whitey Domstad Park.

For more information about the SR 303 Manette Bridge replacement project, including photos of the construction, or to sign up to receive project and traffic updates, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr303/manettebridgereplacement/.

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