PORT ANGELES — Despite an “intense” four-hour meeting, an agreement has yet to be reached to allow work to resume at the Hood Canal Bridge graving yard.
Work at the Marine Drive site has been stopped since Aug. 26 after Klallam tribal remains and artifacts more than 100 years old were found.
The work stoppage is costing about $30,000 per day. In addition, state Department of Transportation officials have spent $82,000 for an archeological survey.
A plan to restart construction must be approved by the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe, state Transportation, Federal Highways Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation before the $17 million project can move forward.
“The five groups had an intense meeting Tuesday and discussed concerns that must be addressed,” said Frances G. Charles, Lower Elwha Klallam tribal secretary and treasurer.
“The tribe is dedicated to moving forward with the project, but we have a lot at stake and must protect our ancestors and culture.”
Charles said the tribe never intended to delay the project, but must protect its ancestral grounds.
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The rest of the story appears in Thurday’s Peninsula Daily News.
