HomeMy WebLinkAbout090925 email - Hood Canal Bridge Repairs - Closures 9_21-9_25ALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Good morning,
The State Route 104 Hood Canal Bridge requires repairs that will close the bridge to all traffic for five consecutive nights this September. The dates are being announced today in the
news release below.
During the closures, contractors will straighten and repair the moveable bridge’s steel tracks on the westbound span. The work must be completed before the next upcoming storm season
to ensure the bridge decks align after drawn span openings. The severity of the wear on the steel tracks was discovered during a recent inspection on the bridge. The work is not part
of a planned project.
Maintenance crews are usually able to address many repairs without closing the bridge to all travel. However, the upcoming work will require the draw span to be open, with water flowing
through the middle, for several hours at a time. Washington State Department of Transportation staff understand how significant a bridge closure is to communities on the Olympic Peninsula.
Many crew members, their families, and friends use the bridge daily. Accordingly, we have scheduled the work to occur at night and after the summer travel season to help minimize disruptions
to travelers and communities served by the bridge.
In addition to the news release, WSDOT communications staff will use additional tools in the coming weeks to help inform the public about the closures. These tools include social media,
bridge status web pages, mobile travel alerts and travel advisories. We will also meet with emergency services and transit providers in the region.
This work will help the bridge remain operational for vehicles and marine traffic.
If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Regards,
Steve
Steve Roark, PE
Region Administrator
WSDOT Olympic Region
7407 31st Ave NE
Lacey, WA 98516
(360) 357-2658
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Washington State Department of Transportation – NEWS
Olympic Region – P.O. Box 47440 - Olympia, WA 98504-7440 – 360-357-2600
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 9, 2025
Contact: Olympic Region Communications <mailto:orfeedback@wsdot.wa.gov> , (360) 357-2600
Repair work brings overnight full closures on SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge Sept. 21-25
Crews will repair steel tracks on the westbound span
SHINE – Travelers who use the State Route 104 Hood Canal Bridge should prepare for a series of overnight closures.
The Hood Canal Bridge will close nightly to all travelers from 8 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. the following day Sunday, Sept. 21 through Thursday, Sept. 25.
During the closures, contractors working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will make repairs to the moveable bridge’s steel tracks on the westbound span. The repairs
are necessary to maintain alignment between the spans of the bridge.
Due to the nature of the work, the bridge will not open to any vehicle traffic, including emergency response.
No easy detour
Travelers looking to get around the closure must take a three-hour trip along the Hood Canal using SR 3 and US 101, or by boat using the Port Townsend ferry.
WSDOT understands the significance bridge closures have on communities on the Olympic Peninsula. The work is scheduled at night and after the summer travel season to minimize disruptions
to travelers and communities served by the bridge.
Why repairs are needed
The moveable westbound span of the Hood Canal Bridge sits on wheels that roll it back when the drawspan opens for boat traffic. These wheels move along stationary steel tracks. Watch
the video. <https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv=cSwhOEkQrek/1/010001992f32d71e-759666fe-7b83-4cc5-8c5a-03028af38bd5-000000/IB-IzIqjcN9iZr6fLIWhfTwJNZe7lCtm1fd
PGTCrMiM=421>
Wind, storm and tides keep the bridge in constant motion. This motion causes the wheels to gyrate and bounce against the steel track. Severe weather and extreme tidal events have caused
an increase in wear and tear on the track.
Dents left in the track by the wheels are now deep enough that they are affecting the drawspan alignment. If the span does not align properly, it can cause the bridge to malfunction
during an opening for boat traffic. It can also prevent the bridge spans from coming back together.
During the closures, contractors will straighten and weld the steel track to remove the dents so that the drawspan aligns properly. The work must be performed before the next storm season
to keep the bridge functioning properly.
Unique bridge requires ongoing maintenance
The SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge is the longest floating bridge in the world located in a saltwater tidal basin. The salty, marine environment of the 300-foot-deep Hood Canal requires the
structure to have ongoing maintenance and construction.
How to check Hood Canal Bridge status
WSDOT offer several ways for bridge users to stay up to date in real time. Travelers can add these handy links to their travel toolkit when planning trips across the water:
* Sign up for bridge closure notifications <https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fpublic.govdelivery.com%2Faccounts%2FWADOT%2Fsubscriber%2Fnew%3Ftopic_id=WADOT_190/1/010001992f32d71e-759666
fe-7b83-4cc5-8c5a-03028af38bd5-000000/AtvnvDh2tGB-0Xx8W4DewW4PWI3IUSbLwbrwDRC2_rM=421>
* Check the bridge status page <https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwsdot.com%2Ftravel%2Freal-time%2Fhoodcanalbridgestatus/1/010001992f32d71e-759666fe-7b83-4cc5-8c5a-03028af38bd5-000000/w
wZc-CohglY_b-BRbtN5DLzroBhxCQNvYV_yAsVCGyE=421>
* Download the WSDOT app <https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwsdot.wa.gov%2Ftravel%2Fknow-before-you-go%2Fmobile-app/1/010001992f32d71e-759666fe-7b83-4cc5-8c5a-03028af38bd5-000000/im2tuJ
qTRhjs5ZdQqVvuwK_GI_Jh5eiD2jfaki0tRHc=421>
* Follow us on X/Twitter <https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/http:%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fwsdot_tacoma/1/010001992f32d71e-759666fe-7b83-4cc5-8c5a-03028af38bd5-000000/Wh9FIgVjkA5YWW4-WkO2cFMd3WedNQUW9ban
t56oMM8=421> or Bluesky <https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fbsky.app%2Fprofile%2Ftacoma.wsdot.wa.gov/1/010001992f32d71e-759666fe-7b83-4cc5-8c5a-03028af38bd5-000000/g5a3pKR0Nk1g6FY3qe6eau
dv0wC_VSjiTrNhYWUqr8Y=421>
Hyperlinks within the release:
* Watch the video: com/watch?v=cSwhOEkQrek <https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/http:%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv=cSwhOEkQrek/1/010001992f32d71e-759666fe-7b83-4cc5-8c5a-03028af38bd5-000000/FABdr
no4JaXkVfa4GpDwRjs3mqr5KOBryhQhrCuoD3A=421>
* Bridge closure notifications: govdelivery.com/accounts/WADOT/subscriber/new?topic_id=WADOT_190 <https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fpublic.govdelivery.com%2Faccounts%2FWADOT%2Fsubscribe
r%2Fnew%3Ftopic_id=WADOT_190/2/010001992f32d71e-759666fe-7b83-4cc5-8c5a-03028af38bd5-000000/uN6iH7_UFgOwDYXQsxV4yM2H28ojAFOuiAKs9aZmrBQ=421>
* Bridge status page: com/travel/real-time/hoodcanalbridgestatus <https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwsdot.com%2Ftravel%2Freal-time%2Fhoodcanalbridgestatus/2/010001992f32d71e-759666fe-7b
83-4cc5-8c5a-03028af38bd5-000000/G17lCqYQy6gxippmBkAAu0vPCcuanIR9gmrFXfGVM8M=421>
* WSDOT app: wa.gov/travel/know-before-you-go/mobile-app <https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwsdot.wa.gov%2Ftravel%2Fknow-before-you-go%2Fmobile-app/2/010001992f32d71e-759666fe-7b83-4cc5
-8c5a-03028af38bd5-000000/Y-aREMplNjfAIyBTYaoI7WxIUunssGwkjzyLZ6cysSg=421>
* X/Twitter: twitter.com/wsdot_tacoma: x.com/wsdot_tacoma
* Bluesky: app/profile/tacoma.wsdot.wa.gov <https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fbsky.app%2Fprofile%2Ftacoma.wsdot.wa.gov/2/010001992f32d71e-759666fe-7b83-4cc5-8c5a-03028af38bd5-000000/yCM
i6j7ruFezE_GxOGSG-ULp39aEhaPJ1UpP0GjXXjY=421>
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WSDOT keeps people, businesses and the economy moving by operating and improving the state's transportation systems. To learn more about what we're doing, go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/news
<https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.wsdot.wa.gov%2Fnews/1/010001992f32d71e-759666fe-7b83-4cc5-8c5a-03028af38bd5-000000/DI0GbiUb3JOG7D8DRRfLugqcPts_hVw8Smqpvhh_A3Y=421>
for pictures, videos, news and blogs. Real-time traffic information is available at wsdot.com/traffic <https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.wsdot.com%2Ftraffic%2Fdefault.aspx/1/01000
1992f32d71e-759666fe-7b83-4cc5-8c5a-03028af38bd5-000000/B694XG4-d6k_PqBaGJSaVaJ40b0_Q4RzGPncvWBr7Oo=421> .
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