SHINE — The disconnection of the 471-foot draw pontoon of the east side of the Hood Canal Bridge “went off without a hitch,” said the principal engineer on the replacement project.
The work began after the bridge closed shortly after midnight Friday.. The section was floated out with no problems, he said, leaving a gaping hole in the bridge that ordinarily supports the traffic of thousands of vehicles.
“It feels great to have one major milestone out of the way, said Dave Ziegler, principal engineer for the state Department of Transportation project that — along with the West half retrofit — is estimated to cost nearly $500 million.
“But many more still lay ahead,” he added.
Removal of the draw pontoon section keeps the construction work on schedule and allows crews to immediately begin operations to replace the existing east-half draw span assembly, Ziegler said.
The draw span assembly, which features the bridge’s “bulge,” is scheduled to be removed next week.
The existing draw span assembly measures about 928-feet from end to end — longer than three football fields.
Like the construction work, operations of the transit service, the passenger-only water shuttles across the canal, park-and-ride lots and traffic on alternate routes are going as planned, DOT officials said this afternoon.
On Thursday night, some gathered at the bridge with cameras to record the historic closure that isolates the Olympic Peninsula.
The bridge was expected to close at 12:01 a.m. today. But one last vehicle, straggling across the bridge, delayed the closure for about two minutes on the Olympic Peninsula side of the bridge.
Honking, the last, lone driver sped by cheering onlookers.
And state Department of Transportation workers hurried to place the barricades that will remain for at least six weeks.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
