SHINE — A straight and smooth Hood Canal Bridge reopened to traffic late Wednesday night, moments after its multimillion-dollar draw span passed a grueling, eight-hour mechanical test.
The 20th consecutive open-and-close function of the draw span was completed and declared reliable just before 10 p.m.
Traffic crossed over the bridge at 10:19 p.m., allowing the world’s longest saltwater floating bridge to reconnect the Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas eight days ahead of schedule.
It had been closed May 1 to replace its decaying, 48-year-old east half in a half-billion-dollar project for which planning began 12 years ago.
The bridge was reopened well ahead of bridge builder Kiewit-General Construction Co.’s June 15 contract deadline.
“I have been waiting for this night,” said bridge project public relations representative Becky Hixson on the state Department of Transportation’s Web site.
16,000 vehicles daily
About 16,000 motorists a day will resume their commutes today over the 1.5-mile structure vital to the North Olympic Peninsula’s economy.
One of the first things they’ll notice is the absence of the “bulge” near the midway point.
The new draw span — successfully tested Wednesday by opening and closing for 20 consecutive times — straightens the roadway across Hood Canal without any turning movements in the middle.
The bridge, closed moments after midnight May 1, was originally scheduled to open by June 12, but the east-half replacement project was set back by high winds that created unworkable conditions for moving new pontoons into place.
The high swells on Hood Canal also made it impossible for Port Angeles-based Victoria Express water shuttle to land at the South Point dock in Jefferson County’s Bridgehaven community south of the bridge. That shut down the temporary commute route around the bridge for three days.
The Victoria Express shuttle will continue one more day on a limited schedule today.
Car ferry to PT ends
A nighttime car ferry between Edmonds and Port Townsend — designed to allow freight to move between the Olympic Peninsula and Puget Sound — ended with its Wednesday night run.
The state is expected to pay contractor Kiewit-General Construction Co. an incentive bonus of about $600,000 for completing the job early.
The bridge replacement project, 12 years in the making, forced travelers to use state-organized bus and water shuttle services between Jefferson and Kitsap counties.
The only other options to get between the North Olympic Peninsula and points east were by plane, the Port Townsend-Keystone ferry route, private boat or a winding drive south down U.S. Highway 101 along Hood Canal to Shelton and Olympia.
Before Wednesday’s successful test of the draw span — an essential function of the bridge so submarines from the Navy’s West Coast base at Bangor, south of the bridge, can pass into the Strait of Juan de Fuca — engineers painstakingly checked off a 93-page draw-span list of 1,400 items Tuesday and early Wednesday.
The 20-cycle draw span test then began shortly after 2 p.m.
Work progressed to 10 successful cycles by about 5:30 p.m. The 20-cycle test took about eight hours to complete.
Powerful motors
As engineers and crews watched the span open and close, they were mindful that if one of the tests failed, the problem would have to be fixed and the 20-cycle test would start all over again — delaying the opening of the floating bridge to traffic until 20 consecutive functions are achieved.
But that wasn’t the case.
The draw span, which has powerful motors to thrust it in and out with giant steel rollers assisting with alignment, was first tested a few times Tuesday afternoon as part of the check list.
Three lift spans, over which the bridge road surface extends, rise about 15 feet before the draw spans activate and create a 600-foot gap between the east and west bridge sections.
The Department of Transportation will provide the alternate transportation services today to help travelers return to their normal commutes. Security will remain at the park and rides in Shine and Port Gamble until Sunday.
Motorists can phone 877-595-4222 for more information.
Saturday ceremonies
Wednesday night’s reopening clears the way for an 11 a.m. Saturday ribbon-cutting ceremony at Salsbury Point County Park, off state Highway 3 between the bridge’s east end and Port Gamble.
Then later Saturday, a “Bridge Opening Bash” hits the streets of Port Townsend with several events planned.
Events and activities will include the grand opening of a new Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce visitor information center between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday at the Haines Place Park and Ride, on 12th Street near the Safeway store.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the visitor center takes place at 1 p.m.
Meanwhile in downtown Port Townsend, culinary experiences, local performers, live street music, a gallery walk, parade, maritime heritage exhibits, regatta and farmers market are among the many activities and entertainment planned throughout the day.
Event promoters said before the bridge reopened that they hope residents from the entire North Olympic Peninsula come to Port Townsend to celebrate.
Visitors from Kitsap and beyond will now be able to travel on the new bridge to celebrate as well.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
