Date:  Friday, September 16, 2011

Contact: Jeff Cook, project engineer, 360-874-8010
Lisa Copeland, communications manager, 360-357-2789

BREMERTON – The completion date for full demolition and removal of the 1930 Manette Bridge will be rescheduled, but the delay won’t affect the scheduled November opening of the new bridge or increase the cost of the project.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced today that the decayed concrete footings of the old bridge will require a different in-water process to ensure containment of the demolition debris.

“The underwater demolition is presenting some challenges and we need to change our approach to removing the footings,” said Steve Roark, assistant region administrator for construction. “The footings are deteriorated to the point where we need to use a method that ensures the demolition debris is contained.”

The initial plan was to use wire saws to cut the underwater footings into 200-ton sections, pick them up with a crane, and barge them to Tacoma. But as crews prepared for the work, concerns surfaced as to whether or not the aging sections would potentially crumble during the removal process.

Large, in-water boxes – or coffer cells – will serve as containers around each footing and enable crews to chip away and remove the structures without losing debris. The debris will be removed by derrick barges and will not affect bridge traffic.

While the change delays in-water footing demolition until WSDOT awards a new contract, Manson-Mowat is still on schedule to remove the old bridge’s steel truss, deck and support columns after the new bridge opens in November.

“It isn’t feasible for us to completely change the removal method and get the work done before our environmental window closes at the end of February – we just don’t have time,” said Roark. “This demolition process will add time to the project overall, but we don’t anticipate it will add to the bottom line.”

When the partial demolition is completed in early-January 2013, six reinforced concrete columns will be visible above the water line adjacent to the new bridge until WSDOT awards a new demolition contract. The demo work will utilize barges and will not impact travel on the new bridge.

The $60 million Manette Bridge Project removes the 81-year-old bridge and replaces it with a new span that features two 11-foot-wide lanes, two 5-foot-wide shoulders, a 10-foot-wide walking path and a new roundabout that will improve safety and traffic flow. For more information, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr303/manettebridgereplacement.

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