PORT ANGELES — City officials will host a brief ceremony on the west side of the Lauridsen Boulevard bridge Tuesday to mark the start of demolition of the 44-year-old structure.
The public is invited to the ceremony, which will start at 10 a.m. and last between 10 to 15 minutes, said Teresa Pierce, communications director for the city.
Mayor Cherie Kidd and City Councilman Patrick Downie are expected to be there, Pierce said, as are city Public Works Director Glenn Cutler and acting City Manager Nathan West.
City Manager Dan McKeen will be on vacation and so will not be able to attend, Pierce added.
Pierce said the ceremony is meant to mark the beginning of the $4.5 million project to replace the Lauridsen Boulevard bridge, demolition of which is expected to start Monday or Tuesday.
“The first step of course is taking down the old bridge because it’s in the way,” Pierce said.
City Engineer Mike Puntenney said Friday that crews with Kent-based Scarsella Bros. Inc. will slice through each end of the bridge, likely with a large jackhammer attached to the arm of an excavator.
“[Crews] hope to have it down by the end of the week,” Puntenney said.
Likely starting next week, crews will then work to lower the bridge to Peabody Creek below, Puntenney said, where it will be broken into smaller pieces and hauled away.
The city is replacing the bridge with the help of a federal grant that is paying for 80 percent of the project, with city funds taking up the remaining 20 percent.
Traffic detours
Detours around the old bridge, closed since Aug. 5, direct traffic heading east on Lauridsen Boulevard north onto South Eunice Street, east again onto East Eighth Street then finally south on South Race Street to connect back up with Lauridsen.
Westbound traffic on the boulevard is being directed to follow the same route in reverse.
The new bridge will feature a driving surface 18 feet wider than the current one, consisting of an eastbound center turn lane, two 12-foot vehicle lanes and two 5-foot-wide bike lanes.
The new bridge’s sidewalks also will be wider than the existing ones.
The traffic signal where Lauridsen Boulevard intersects Race Street also will be replaced and the surface of the intersection itself improved.
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Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.
