PORT ANGELES — The state-retrofitted Hood Canal Bridge and Clallam County’s double-deck Elwha River bridge made a leading trade publication’s short list of top bridges in the nation for 2010.
Roads & Bridges magazine rated Hood Canal Bridge No. 1 and the Elwha River bridge replacement No. 7 for 2010.
Clallam County Engineer Ross Tyler said he was surprised when he opened his November edition of Roads & Bridges and saw the list.
“It is kind of neat to score two of the top 10 in Washington out of all the bridges that were constructed within the U.S.,” Tyler said.
Clallam County has never before had a road or a bridge in the publication’s top 10 list.
“We didn’t even know it had been submitted,” Tyler said.
“It was a very nice surprise.”
Tyler said the Illinois-based magazine is well-respected in the industry, adding that the editorial content is not swayed by advertising.
“That leaves me to believe that the criteria has to be fairly significant,” Tyler said.
Roads & Bridges Editorial Director Bill Wilson could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.
“Some of the others [in the rankings] are major, major structures, even bigger than ours by a considerable margin,” Tyler said.
“They definitely give consideration to aesthetics, how it works in the environment, unique features in it, stuff like that.”
Hood Canal Bridge
The eastern half of the Hood Canal Bridge was replaced in 2009. The nearly $500 million project closed the bridge for five weeks.
The state Department of Transportation reopened the link between Jefferson and Kitsap counties a week ahead of schedule.
Transportation contracted the work to Kiewit-General Construction Co.
A story in the publication devoted to the Hood Canal Bridge replacement said that Phil Wallace, project director for the Kiewit-General joint venture, dedicated the award to Eric Soderquist, a state Department of Transportation employee who suffered a fatal accident at his home during construction.
Elwha River bridge
Clallam County completed its 600-foot replacement span across the lower Elwha Valley in September 2009.
Parsons RCI was the contractor for the project. BergerABAM designed it.
“Access to Pier 2 proved to be one of the most challenging aspects of the project,” Roads & Bridges said.
“Situated on a rocky knoll about 50 vertical feet down a steep embankment, it was bordered to the north and east by vertical drop-offs and to the south by an existing crib wall of unknown stability.
“To deal with the situation, Parsons had to design-build a ramp and work pad.”
One of the unique features of the $20 million bridge is the pedestrian path — part of the Olympic Discovery Trial — suspended below the 85-foot-high automobile deck.
The project was funded through a combination of local, state, federal and tribal sources.
Clallam County handled all of the administrative work in-house, saving county taxpayers millions.
The county won the state Department of Transportation Director’s Award for its work on the Elwha River bridge in September.
For the complete Roads & Bridges rankings, visit www.roadsbridges.com and click on “Current Issue.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
