SHINE — Closures of the Hood Canal Bridge continue tonight as repairs are made to a drawspan in the center of the floating bridge.
Through Thursday, state Highway 104 over the Hood Canal Bridge is closed to vehicle traffic from 8:45 p.m. to 10:45 p.m., from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. and from 1:15 a.m. to 3:45 a.m.
The closures allow for repair of the western drawspan of the floating bridge, said Kevin Dayton, state Department of Transportation regional administrator.
The repair schedule allows for only three 15-minute intervals in which motor vehicles will be allowed to cross the bridge during each seven-hour nightly closures.
The idea is to allow backed-up traffic to “flush through every two hours or so,” Dayton said.
The work is weather-dependent and will carry over for more nights if necessary, he said.
Although the eastern half of the floating bridge was replaced in 2009, the 30-year-old western half is showing signs of wear in key components of its drawspan, Dayton said.
Divots in the 1 1/2-inch-thick steel plates running the length of the drawspan make it difficult to open the western half of the bridge.
The plates protect the pontoon’s concrete from 4-foot-diameter steel rollers, which guide the drawspan as it opens and closes.
The repairs, which must be made with the drawspan open, involve welding low spots in the guide-roller rails, Dayton said.
Real-time information about the Hood Canal Bridge or any state highway is available by phoning 5-1-1, signing up for email/text alerts via www.wsdot.com or visiting www.wsdot.com/traffic.
