PORT ANGELES – Two malfunctioning traffic signals, including one belonging to the state Department of Transportation, delayed Monday morning’s closure of the Tumwater Creek bridge by two and a half hours.
Demolition of the 1930s-era bridge on Eighth Street began on Monday and will last about a month, when construction of a new concrete girder bridge will begin.
Its twin, the Valley Creek bridge, will be closed no sooner than Sept. 17 for demolition and rebuilding.
The new bridges are expected to be opened on Nov. 1, 2008, after the $18.4 million project is completed.
The first step – closing the Tumwater Creek bridge – was scheduled to be at 9 a.m. Monday, but difficulties postponed the closure until about 11:30 a.m., when the barricades finally went up.
Parsons RCI Inc. workers began demolishing the bridge’s asphalt roadway surface at about 3 p.m.
