During the bridge closure in May-June 2009, tugboats will "float-out" the old east-half sections of the bridge and "float-in" the three large new replacement sections. The float-in process includes towing the new sections from Seattle to the bridge site, putting them in place, connecting them together and installing the transition spans. The bridge will be closed to traffic during this time.
In fast-motion, this animation demonstrates the process of the bridge replacement activities over the six week bridge closure.
Pontoon Float-in (RealVideo / 0:12 sec)
Pontoon Float-in (Windows Media / 0:12 sec)