Traffic on U.S. Highway 101 around Hood Canal increased from some 3,000 vehicles per day to about 5,310 daily after the floating bridge over the canal was closed, the State Patrol said.
The Hood Canal Bridge was closed on May 1 for replacement of its eastern half.
It is expected to be reopened mid-June.
“During the first week of the Hood Canal Bridge closure, state Department of Transportation counts indicated a 77 percent increase in traffic volumes,” State Patrol spokeswoman Trooper Krista Hedstrom said in a statement issued Friday.
“The No. 1 concern for drivers who travel this route on a daily basis is the amount of slow-moving vehicles failing to use the turnouts,” she added.
About 20 slow-vehicle turnouts are located along Highway 101 in Jefferson and Mason counties in both directions, Hedstrom said.
“Drivers are asked to be mindful of others as they drive along Highway 101, and use the turnouts if they are proceeding at a speed less than the normal flow of traffic,” she said.
Drivers backing up more than five vehicles are required by law to pull into a turnout and allows faster-moving traffic to pass.
Failure to do so can result in a $124 traffic infraction.
Overwhelmed by calls
In another development related to the bridge closure:
Customers calling to reserve spots on the Port Townsend-Keystone ferry have waited for long periods on the phone during the past week.
State ferry officials added customer service staff but has received an unprecedented number of calls since May 1.
The length of calls has also increased, as more time has been needed to resolve customers’ travel issues.
Instead of calling for a reservation, customers can do it on the ferry system’s Web site at www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries.
All they have to do is enter the approximate length and height of their car, the number of passengers, driver’s name, e-mail address and phone number.
A confirmation number is sent to the customer’s e-mail address, to be presented at the terminal.
When a sailing has no reservations available, its time appears in gray, and if a customer chooses that sailing time, the “Continue” button can’t be clicked.
Don’t call customer service because there is no way to reserve space on a full sailing.
People are also calling customer service to reserve spots on the Port Townsend-Edmonds evening sailings (once a night Sunday through Thursday), which can’t be done online, about the passenger-only “water shuttle” ferries across the canal and about medical transport services while the bridge is closed.
