PORT TOWNSEND — Something has to be done before it’s too late.
That was the overriding concern that Jefferson County and Port Townsend leaders voiced Tuesday upon learning that state transportation officials put the east half Hood Canal Bridge replacement project on hold while abandoning the Port Angeles graving yard project.
Departing Jefferson County Commissioner Glen Huntingford said regardless of quick fixes in the next two years, “they’re going to have to replace that bridge.
New pontoons, anchors and cables to secure the bridge are becoming a necessity, he said.
“They’re going to have to find a spot and build them.”
Huntingford, R-Chimacum, has spent the past 12 years as a member of the Regional Transportation Planning Organization board representing the county and Olympic region for the Department of Transportation.
He was the state transportation advisory board’s chairman for nine years.
Huntingford’s term on the board ends with his 12 years as a county commissioner on Jan. 1 after he was defeated in the Nov. 2 election by Cape George Democrat David Sullivan.
Traffic triples on bridge
During his years on the board, Huntingford said he has taken three tours of the bridge and has seen the span’s traffic more than triple since 1979 when a major storm destroyed the west half.
He said he was working on the Kitsap County side of the bridge when it went down.
Then, daily crossings totaled about 5,000 vehicles. Today, said Huntingford, vehicles make between 16,000 and 17,000 crossings.
At that rate, he said, it has been reported that the bridge could have about 28,000 trips by 2008, when it now scheduled for repair.
He expressed confidence, however, that county and state officials would act expeditiously in the event of an emergency.
