Hood Canal Bridge Closure Plan and Information
Starting in May 2009, the Hood Canal Bridge will be closed to traffic for six weeks. WSDOT and the contractor, Kiewit-General (K-G) of Poulsbo, will replace the east-half floating sections and transition trusses on both ends of the bridge.
WSDOT is committed to providing options during the six-week 2009 closure that offer drivers ways to travel between Jefferson and Kitsap counties.
In 2002, a mitigation plan was created to accomplish this. The Peninsula Regional Transportation and Planning Organization-approved plan was developed with residents from the Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas. It incorporates the top concern of drivers from those communities -- finding the fastest alternate route. View the May-June 2009 Closure Mitigation Folio (PDF, 416 KB)...
The plan for the May-June 2009 closure has five elements including:
Alternate Driving Routes and Traffic Control
- Temporary improvements to state highway locations that will experience increased traffic during the bridge closure.
- An incident management plan that includes use of Incident Response Trucks, maintenance trucks, Washington State Patrol patrols, signage at key decision points, highway advisory radio, variable message signs and radio alerts to assist drivers.
Transportation Options
- A water shuttle service across Hood Canal, between South Point in Jefferson County and Lofall in Kitsap County.
- Water shuttle docks and parking for the water shuttle service.
- Transit service to and from the water shuttle docks.
Rideshare Opportunities
- Assistance with finding rideshare opportunities prior to and during the closure by utilizing the existing Puget Sound Rideshare database system.
- Implementation of the rideshare public outreach plan, including informational posters, e-mail rider alerts, Web site pages and brochures.
Medical Transportation Assistance
- A reservation-based transport service from Lofall to Seattle, Bremerton and Silverdale for people with conditions that require life-sustaining treatments.
- Community outreach with Emergency Medical Services groups to facilitate region-wide planning and driver preparedness.
Public Involvement
- Community outreach tactics such as newspaper and radio ads, brochures, posters, direct-mail postcards and community presentations. Distribution of information through tourism and business interests, local community groups and the Peninsula Regional Transportation Planning Organization.
- A media relations campaign featuring bridge closure information.
View the entire 2009 Closure Mitigation Commitment Plan (1.39 mb pdf) that will help drivers get where they need to go during the six-week bridge closure in 2009.
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