Jefferson and Kitsap County
The eastern half of the SR 104, Hood Canal Bridge is nearing the end of its structural service life and will not be reliable after 2007. Since repairs would not significantly extend the life of the bridge, rebuilding the bridge is more cost effective. When the Hood Canal Bridge East Half Replacement project is finished, the bridge will have a new wider east-half floating section, new approach sections and transition trusses on the east and west ends. In addition, the west half will be widened to allow for continuous 8-foot shoulders across the entire length of the bridge - matching the new east half. In July 2003, WSDOT signed a $204 million construction with Kiewitt General of Poulsbo in July. The project broke ground on August 6, 2003.
A large portion of the project includes building a graving yard facility for construction of the new concrete pontoons and anchors that will eventually be floated out and towed to the bridge site. In mid-August work at the Port Angeles graving dock site was halted after WSDOT workers discovered archeological items during site excavation. Graving dock construction was suspended on August 26 while department officials worked closely with Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe officials to ensure appropriate site management and a thorough accounting of archaeological items. Teams of archeologists, tribal members and WSDOT staff completed a survey of the site in September, trying to identify the most likely location of artifacts. WSDOT officials and Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal leaders are working with officials from the Federal Highway Administration, Army Corps of Engineers and the State Historic Preservation Office toward an agreement on archeological data recovery at the approximately 22-acre Hood Canal Bridge graving dock site. The agreement will define how items are recovered, as well as when and how work can re-start on the project. Approximately 140,000 cubic yards of material are to excavated and removed from the site.