SHINE — Motorists can expect more daytime delays on Hood Canal Bridge as crews test the draw span next week.
Bridge traffic will be stopped for 40 minutes at:
• 3 p.m. Tuesday.
• 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.
• 2:30 p.m. Thursday.
No closures are scheduled for today, Saturday, Sunday or Monday.
The state Department of Transportation and Kiewit-General Construction Co. of Poulsbo are doing retrofit and ballasting work on the west side of the bridge as part of a nearly completed $500 million project to repair the floating bridge and replace its eastern half.
The openings allow testing of the ballast in pontoons to make sure the new east side and retrofitted west side work together.
The tests are timed to coincide with slack tides on the world’s longest floating bridge on salt water.
Additional bridge openings for marine vessels will occur as needed with no advance notice.
There are no nighttime test openings planned next week.
Scheduled closures are listed online at www.hood canalbridge.com.
To find out if the bridge is open, dial 5-1-1, or phone toll free at 800-419-9085.
Neither phone number will provide advance notice of closures.
“Finishing up ballast tests for the west-half draw span is not only a big milestone for the project, but it’s a huge deal for drivers, too,” project engineer Jeff Cook said in a Department of Transportation news release.
“Completing this work means we’re one step closer to giving the bridge back to motorists and showcasing what truly is a world-class bridge.”
