Date:  Monday, May 11, 2009

Contact: Jamie Swift, WSDOT Communications, 360-507-4261
             Joe Irwin, WSDOT Communications, 253-305-6412

SHINE – The old east half of the Hood Canal Bridge is gone. Now it’s time to usher in the new east half.

The bridge closed May 1 for a six-week project that replaces the east half and the trusses at both ends, resulting in a safer, wider, more reliable bridge.

“Up to now, we’ve been focused on disconnecting and floating out the old parts,” said Dave Ziegler, principal engineer for the Hood Canal Bridge project. “We’re looking forward to reassembling the bridge with the new and improved pieces.”

Tugs pulled out of Hood Canal just prior to noon today with the last piece of the old east-half in tow. The 770-foot roadway section will be replaced early Tuesday morning with a 943-foot-long pontoon section that is currently moored in Port Gamble Bay.

Crews need to get a jump early Tuesday morning on moving the new three-football-fields-long section from Port Gamble for a couple of reasons, both related to tidal conditions. Port Gamble is a shallow channel, so setting sea at high tide is ideal. The early morning move also allows tugs to escort the new pontoon section into the canal with the help of an incoming tide.

“The project has really picked up steam the past several days,” Ziegler said. “We’ve reached several milestones since late last week.”

Those major milestones include:

· Removal of the 1-million pound west end truss on Friday, May 8

· Removal of a 720-foot-long floating east-half roadway section on Saturday, May 9

· Removal of the old and installation of the new west-end A-frame (supports new west-end truss) on Saturday, May 9

See the latest project photos at Flickr , read about construction updates on the Hood Canal Bridge blog or get more information at http://www.hoodcanalbridge.com/ . The Hood Canal Bridge retrofit and replacement – which is now 93 percent complete – will improve the existing east half, making it wider, safer and more reliable.

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WSDOT keeps people, businesses and the economy moving by operating and improving the state's transportation systems. To learn more about what we're doing, go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/news for pictures, videos, news and blogs. Real time traffic information is available at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic or by dialing 5-1-1.

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