PORT HADLOCK — Jefferson County business, government and public safety officials are preparing for the worst, but hoping for minimal business impact when the North Olympic Peninsula’s ground transportation lifeline — the Hood Canal Bridge — is closed for six weeks in 2009.
More than 100 attended a Friday panel discussion at Washington State University Learning Center in Port Hadlock where representatives of major businesses, military, government and public safety operations discussed the expected impact of the May-June 2009 bridge closure.
The 7,869-foot floating structure will become a bridge to nowhere beginning May 1 when Kiewit-General Construction Company replaces its dilapidated eastern half in a $470.9 million project.
Becky Hixson, Hood Canal Bridge Project communications manager for the state Department of Transportation, said there will be four ways off and on the North Olympic Peninsula during construction; fly by Kenmore Air, which connects the William R. Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles with Seattle, or other commuter air service; take the Port Townsend-Keystone ferry; drive U.S. Highway 101; or cross Hood Canal by passenger ferry.
Reservations for the 50-car Steilacoom II ferry, which the state is leasing from Pierce County to make the crossing between Port Townsend and Keystone while new ferries are being built, are expected to be filled during the bridge closure, Washington State Ferries officials predict.
Transportation expects a 60 percent increase in Highway 101 traffic in Jefferson County during the project, Hixson said.
Jefferson Transit has a “heavy-duty schedule” of bus shuttle service planned, said David Turrisini, general manager.
The free shuttle, funded by Transportation, will run from the Fred Hill Materials Shine Pit off Highway 104 to the temporary South Point passenger ferry terminal set up to run across Hood Canal to the Lofall terminal on the Kitsap County side. A park and ride is being built at the Shine pit.
Hospital plans
Jill Buhler, Jefferson Healthcare hospital commissioner, said the Port Townsend-based facility will share staff and facility resources to create a regional staffing pool in cooperation with Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles and Forks Community Hospital.
“We expect longer transportation times for transferring patients,” Buhler said, adding it could take three to four hours to transport patients, with helicopter airlift being the “last resort.”
Transferring patients to Tacoma or Gig Harbor instead of to Kitsap County is another option under consideration, she said.
The Port Townsend hospital will “ramp up” its supply inventory in preparation for the bridge closure, Buhler said.
Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Brasfield said he is mainly concerned about a major crash or flood washout on Highway 101 during the closure.
During the last bridge closure, crime actually went down, he said, possibly because Kitsap County was cut off.
Special ferry runs
Leonard Smith, state ferries system operations manager, said ferries officials are examining how many 82-foot tractor-trailer truck rigs can fit aboard the 100-car ferry Sealth for special evening runs between Port Townsend and Edmonds.
Smith said a schedule is being considered that would take ferry trucks from Port Townsend, launching at 9 p.m. and laying over in Edmonds for a return run at 2 a.m.
“If people have an interest in this service, please tell us,” Smith said.
The main phone number is 360-705-7000.
The county’s largest private employer, Port Townsend Paper Corp., has “big concerns” about delivering its kraft paper product to its box-making plants in British Columbia, Canada, a company representative said.
“We are looking to Washington State Ferries for commercial truck service,” said Kevin Wright, sales manager with the Port Townsend Paper mill.
“Even with that, it is going to be a partial help to our truck force.”
The mill delivers 40 truckloads a day, many of which would have to run down Highway 101 and around to Interstate 5 north, even with some ferry relief. That will add up to 225 miles extra per shipment, he said.
Bob Geisler, Safeway Port Townsend store general manager said, “The challenges we have are basically getting products in the store.”
Four trucks a day deliver goods to the store, and changing all deliveries to a night schedule is planned, he said.
The impact will be similar for QFC stores in Port Hadlock, Sequim and Port Angeles, said Dan Diederichs, manager of the Port Hadlock store.
Because deliveries to QFC come from a Puyallup Valley distribution center, Diederichs said, they can easily be driven around the bridge project via Highway 101.
“We may see some deliveries stopped,” he added.
Larry Crockett, Port of Port Townsend executive director, said business owners should keep in mind that United Parcel Service and Federal Express can deliver to Jefferson County International Airport, which the port operates.
He said that Goodwin Aviation also is available for small-craft charter flights.
Kenmore flights
Craig O’Neil, director of marketing for Kenmore Air serving Port Angeles’ William R. Fairchild International Airport, said the company will double flights out of Port Angeles with a dedicated shuttle to the airport.
But O’Neil said, “The reason I’m here today is that we are looking at options to providing service to Jefferson County” during the bridge closure only.
“We are willing to fly in for anybody, provided that they are willing to pay.”
A one-way flight would be pricey, he warned, and depend on the number of people who would meet the plane at the Jefferson airport.
The cost could be as high as $800 for a flight to Seattle, he said.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
