SHINE — The date that the Hood Canal Bridge reopens is expected to be announced by Friday.
“The word is that we’re likely to open the first week of June,” was all bridge project spokeswoman Becky Hixson would say Wednesday afternoon.
“We are trying to give people as much notice ahead of time as we can.”
Hood Canal Bridge project officials with the state Department of Transportation and contractor Kiewit General were still discussing Wednesday when to announce a date to reopen the bridge, saying it is too risky to do so at this time.
Hixson said officials overseeing the $500 million project to replace the bridge’s east half hope to be in a better position to confirm the bridge’s reopening day by Friday.
Weather conditions are the primary factor in the bridge’s completion, officials have said.
The Wednesday bridge project blog at hoodcanalbridge.blogspot.com/ says that by taking advantage of good weather this week and over the Memorial Day weekend, the Kiewit General and state crew “soaked up three more days like cola off a shag carpet.”
A June 6 date for a “Bridge Opening Bash” near the Hood Canal Bridge’s new east half and later that day in Port Townsend has been confirmed.
The contractor’s original deadline for completion was June 12. That was moved to June 15 because of weather-related delays.
Transportation will pay contractor Kiewit General a bonus of $75,000 a day for up to eight days for completing the bridge early.
If the company is late, it will pay the state $75,000 for each day’s delay, up to a maximum of $1 million.
Work crews brought the two new bridge draw-span components together for the first time last weekend.
Calm weather allowed crews to align the spans and begin operations to attach bumpers to the end of each. The large, rubber bumpers help keep the draw spans from damaging one another when the bridge is in the locked position.
When the bridge first closed to traffic, DOT was preparing travelers, residents and businesses for a six-week closure.
For more information, see www.HoodCanalBridge.com or phone 1-877-595-4222.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
