Date:  Thursday, April 30, 2009

Contact: Bill Elliott, Project Design Engineer, 360-570-6606
             Kelly Stowe, WSDOT Communications, 360-357-2716

BREMERTON – WSDOT engineers designing the new Manette Bridge will be on hand to answer questions at an open house scheduled for Tuesday, May 5.

The community is invited to view displays and speak with project staff about this bridge replacement project set to begin in summer 2010. Staff will be available to share progress on the project from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Norm Dicks Government Center located at 345 Sixth St. in Bremerton.

This replacement project is necessary because the current Manette Bridge, built in 1930, is structurally deficient. In 2008, WSDOT put weight restrictions on vehicles crossing the bridge as a result of findings from routine inspections.

This project preserves the important link across the Port of Washington Narrows by building a wider, safer bridge for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians. This work also will support an estimated 630 jobs.

Available funding for this project is just over $83 million, the bulk of which comes from federal bridge replacement funds. If the construction cost of the Manette Bridge is less than the allocated funding level, remaining funds will be returned to the Bridge Preservation Program to be used on other bridges awaiting rehabilitation or replacement.

For more information about this project, please visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr303/manettebridgereplacement/

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