SHINE — The Hood Canal Bridge is closed.
The bridge — a major transportation and economic link between the North Olympic Peninsula and metropolitan Western Washington — was closed at 12:01 a.m. sharp today.
State Department of Transportation workers promptly threw up barricades at both ends.
The bridge could be closed for six weeks while Kiewit-General contractors replace its aged east half.
DOT officials hopes that financial incentives for finishing early will shorten that time frame.
Should Kiewit-General finish the nearly $500 million project ahead of schedule, the company would earn a bonus of $75,000 a day for up to eight days.
Late Thursday night, workers were poised on the bridge to launch into cutting apart the bridge’s draw float with large diamond cable saws.
The draw float is where the 471-foot draw span meets the newer west half of the bridge.
Two more sections of floats will be removed in succession eastward, along with the trusses at both ends.
“We have crews in place to do that,” said Scott Ireland, addressing media representatives on Wednesday at Kitsap County’s Salsbury Park, with the bridge as a backdrop.
Giant steel trusses connecting the floating bridge to land on each end will be removed one at a time, east then west.
That section of the bridge was expected to be towed out today, state officials said.
Pontoons ready
The pontoons were assembled, outfitted, tested and completed in August 2008 in Seattle, and two have been moored in Port Gamble Bay, ready to be towed by tugs to the bridge site.
The draw span float is being towed in from Todd Shipyards in Seattle to be installed shortly after the old section is towed out.
Workers today were saw-cutting joints from the top decks to the bottom pontoon.
Three saws will be set up on the pontoon deck and used to cut away about one-third of the pontoon.
The heavy-duty saw will use a diamond-embedded steel cable, which will be fed through vertical holes in the deck.
Divers will then bring the end of the cable back to the saw to form a complete loop.
Once a loop is formed, water will be pumped to the saw to keep the wire lubricated for cutting.
To separate the pontoons, 80 bolts measuring 1.5 inches in diameter must be removed, and 24 steel tendons must be cut.
High strength steel rods then will be installed to keep the pontoons together temporarily.
The new east-half pontoons are designed to last 75 years and provide a wider, safer roadway, along with more reliable electrical, mechanical and hydraulic systems, state transportation officials said.
Once the draw span is removed, the 2,928-foot flanking pontoon sections, including the so-called “bulge” in the bridge, come out.
Then the 720-foot roadway pontoons will be removed, followed by the 770-foot roadway pontoons.
Free rides
In preparation for the bridge closure, Jefferson Transit was offering free rides to Peninsula commuters Thursday afternoon from the Port Gamble Park and Ride, where they can leave their vehicles for the six-week period without a bridge.
“With this being the longest bridge on salt water, this is a great milestone for the community to celebrate,” said Becky Hixson, bridge project communications manager.
Christina Pivarnik, marketing director for the city of Port Townsend, told reporters that the city and the Peninsula would be open for business, and the Port Townsend Rhododendron, Sequim Irrigation, Juan and Brinnon Shrimp festivals would go on as planned during May.
She cited some of the bridge closure information Web sites that are available: www.hoodcanalbridge.com, www.jeffconnections.com and www.kenmoreair.com for transportation information, as well as the state information call line at 5-1-1.
Kenmore Air will be offering float plane rides between Seattle’s Lake Union and Port Ludlow and Port Hadlock during closure.
Transit and ferry riders cannot take more luggage than they can fit on their laps.
Motorists will be prohibited from driving on state Highway 104 to South Point Road unless they are local residents.
The highway to the bridge past South Point Road will be closed for a fish passage culvert project crossing 104.
Transit buses or vehicles must go to the Fred Hill Materials Shine Pit Park and Ride, where passengers catch a shuttle bus to the South Point water shuttle dock.
Then, they will cross by passenger ferry each half-hour to Lofall dock, where Starline Transportation coaches will pick up passengers, shuttling them to the Port Gamble Park and Ride, Kingston or Bainbridge Island with a stop in Poulsbo and Silverdale.
Those who drive a vehicle to drop off someone or ride a bicycle to Lofall or South Point water shuttle docks are subject to a $124 fine if cited by the State Patrol.
Jefferson Transit will have three bus stops along South Point Road for Bridgehaven for neighborhood residents who want to use the South Point water shuttle to Lofall.
The bus stops are South Point Road at Thorndyke Road, at North Beach Drive and at Bluejay Lane.
South Point Road has no shoulders and no room for parking or pedestrians during the closure, which will be heavily traveled by wide buses.
Private vehicles and bicycles are not allowed to go directly to a water-shuttle terminal.
Motorists must drive to the Fred Hill Materials Shine Pit Park and Ride south of Highway 104, while cyclists must park their bikes at the Olympic Gateway Visitor Center near the intersection of state highways 19 and 104 to be picked up by Jefferson Transit heading to the Shine Pit Park and Ride.
Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Diana Wickman on Wednesday said the passenger ferries were approved for operation after inspections.
She said a safety zone of 200 yards on both sides of the bridge would prohibit boating within that boundary.
The Coast Guard will patrol Hood Canal around the bridge as usual, she said.
________
Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
