SHINE — Testing the 6-month-old draw span of the refurbished Hood Canal Bridge will cause three daytime closures to traffic this week.
The state Department of Transportation on Monday said the testing will be at the following times:
•SEnSToday: 11:45 a.m.
•SEnSWednesday: 12:30 p.m.
•SEnSThursday: 1:45 p.m.
Since the bridge reopened with a new east half this summer, testing and work on the west half has disrupted vehicle traffic on a constantly changing schedule.
In addition, there are openings for marine traffic — mainly Navy submarines from the Bangor sub base on Hood Canal south of the bridge — that are unannounced because of national security reasons, according to the Pentagon.
Scheduled closures are listed online at www.hood canalbridge.com.
You also can sign up to get text message traffic alerts on your cell phone. To start the process, select “e-mail updates” at the top right-hand corner of the www.hoodcanalbridge.com home page.
By telephone
Butif you can’t check online and haven’t set up text message alerts — if you are relying upon dialing a phone number for updates — here are your options.
• You can dial 5-1-1. At the first prompt, say “traffic.”
At the second prompt, say “104” — the number of the state highway that crosses the Hood Canal Bridge.
• You can dial the toll-free number for Hood Canal Bridge information. The number is 800-419-9085.
Both numbers will tell you only if the bridge is open to vehicle traffic right at that moment. They are updated continually, said Kelly Stowe, state Department of Transportation spokeswoman.
Neither of the two phone numbers provides advance information about closures scheduled for testing, nighttime closures or closures to allow the drawspan to open for marine traffic.
The bridge has average daily traffic of 15,000 on weekdays and 20,000 on weekends.
The eastern half of the bridge was replaced in a nearly $500 million project that closed the bridge for five weeks in May and June.
