SHINE – Effective immediately and continuing through Sunday, Sept. 13, motorists who need to cross the State Route 104 Hood Canal Bridge are advised to proactively check the status of the bridge before they head out. The Washington State Department of Transportation will regularly update the status of the bridge, indicating whether it is open or closed to vehicular traffic, on WSDOT’s Hood Canal Bridge Web page. At present, no boat openings are scheduled.

Through the weekend, WSDOT’s contractor will continue work to replace an anchor cable located close to the drawspan as part of a construction project. The request to proactively check the bridge’s status stems from a six-hour unplanned closure to vehicles that lasted from 10:30 a.m. to 4:43 p.m. Sept. 9. The delay was caused by a misaligned drawspan resulting from a combination of high tides, the cable work and a drawspan opening for a marine vessel.

“The drawspan is more flexible than anticipated when we planned this work,” said Olympic Region Administrator Kevin Dayton. “We apologize for yesterday’s unexpected extended closure. Unfortunately we can’t rule out the possibility the same thing will happen again until we get that anchor cable secured.”

Contractor crews are working around the clock to expedite the anchor replacement, and a tug boat is on standby to maneuver the drawspan back into position should the same situation occur. Particularly strong tides are complicating the process, and maneuvering the drawspan back into position may only be possible during slack tides.

U.S. Coast Guard regulations require WSDOT to open the drawspan to marine traffic within one hour’s notice. WSDOT has asked mariners to request drawspan openings only during slack tides, however mariners are not required to abide by that request. The potential for another extended closure exists until the anchor cable is installed and tensioned, which is scheduled to be complete on Sunday, Sept. 13.

The construction project is replacing 21 of the bridge’s 42 anchor cables. Ten cables have been replaced; one is in the process of being replaced, and 10 cables remain to be done. Crews plan to complete the project before the storm season arrives, typically in October.

Learn more at the WSDOT Hood Canal Bridge page. http://www.wsdot.com/traffic/hoodcanal/default.aspx?cam=1150