Pontoon construction site preparation at Concrete Technology Corporation in Tacoma started in November 2005 and was completed in February 2006. This work included installing two new tower cranes, pouring new sections of concrete floor in the graving dock, securing bond breaker to the graving dock floor, preparing material storage areas and bringing work equipment to the site.
Pontoon construction started in March 2006. Watch the progress from the pontoon construction web camera or by taking a look at the pontoon construction photo gallery.
Selecting the Site
In January 2005, WSDOT assembled an expert review panel to evaluate the project and advise the SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge project team on the course of action for contracting the work. The panel included national experts in construction, program management, contract administration and marine construction.
Recommendations from the expert review panel echoed the sentiments of WSDOT executives: the Hood Canal Bridge Team must identify a course of action to replace the aging east half of the Hood Canal Bridge, at a predictable cost, as soon as possible. The panel also recommended moving quickly ahead with the current contractor, Kiewit-General. The project team worked with the contractor to find new sites for constructing, assembling and outfitting pontoons.
Why Build Pontoons in Tacoma
Using the graving dock at Concrete Technology, an existing commercially-operated facility, for pontoon construction will deliver a new east half in 2009 without the risks associated with permitting and constructing a new graving dock facility.
In the long-term it would be most cost effective for the state to own and operate a large graving dock facility to mass-produce pontoons and anchors for the four floating bridges in WSDOT’s inventory. The main reason for building the graving dock in Port Angeles was to create a state-owned facility ideally suited for years of floating bridge construction for both the Hood Canal Bridge and the SR 520 Evergreen Point Floating Bridge. When construction on the Port Angeles graving dock stopped in December 2004, there was a sense of urgency to find a site to build the Hood Canal Bridge pontoons.
WSDOT executives decided that finding the fastest, most predictable methods for replacing the aging Hood Canal Bridge east-half needed to take priority over providing a new graving dock suitable for multiple bridge projects. In early 2005, WSDOT conducted a review of possible pontoon construction sites around Puget Sound and chose to pursue the remaining work in existing, privately-owned facilities.
Kiewit-General worked side-by-side with WSDOT from March through October 2005 to develop a plan for using existing facilities, such as Concrete Technology, to construct, assemble and outfit pontoons.
Contact Information
WSDOT Hood Canal Bridge Project Office
950 Broadway, Suite 501
Tacoma, WA 98402
E-mail: orfeedback@wsdot.wa.gov