Date:  Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Contact:
Lisa Copeland, WSDOT Communications, 360-357-2789

SHINE – WSDOT is ready to open the Hood Canal Bridge for marine traffic tomorrow following a mechanical issue with the new drive system that occurred Monday. Currently the bridge is closed to marine traffic; however it is open to vehicle traffic.

During a routine opening of the bridge Monday afternoon, the draw span moved back into the closed position at a faster rate of speed than it should have, causing superficial damage to the bridge.

WSDOT’s engineers and its contractor continue to track the source of the problem. Tuesday WSDOT’s inspectors reviewed the area but an onsite inspection did not reveal any clear answers.

“We visually inspected the mechanical and electrical drive systems and found no indications of damage or broken parts that would explain why the motors failed to power down as the draw span closed,” said Jeff Cook, Project Engineer.

WSDOT is confident about opening and closing the bridge. The question is what degree of control the automatic system has over the speed of the draw span during closure.

“If we encounter problems with the automatic system, we will close the draw span by overriding the automatics and using manual control - slow but effective,” said Cook.

In June, WSDOT completed replacement of the bridge’s east half and east and west trusses, but the project is still under contract. Work is scheduled to continue through December 2009 as crews complete electrical, hydraulic and mechanical upgrades and make final adjustments.

For more information on the Hood Canal Bridge Project, please visit http://www.hoodcanalbridge.com/.

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