Why the Hood Canal Bridge was stuck open for so long
Sep 9, 2015, 5:59 PM | Updated: 6:32 pm
The Hood Canal Bridge drawspan drifted out of alignment on Wednesday, detouring traffic to the Olympic Peninsula for most of the day. (KING 5 photo)
(KING 5 photo)
The Hood Canal Bridge drawspan drifted out of alignment on Wednesday, detouring traffic to the Olympic Peninsula for most of the day.
The Washington State Department of Transportation blamed the misalignment on three things, according to The Seattle Times.
A cable that connects the deck to the bottom of the canal was disconnected for a replacement project. The new cable wasn’t connected yet. At 10:30 a.m., the bridge opened for a vessel, as required by federal law. And finally, the rising tides pushed against the floating part of the bridge, pushing it off-center.
The result? The drawspan remained open for at least six hours and traffic was detoured.
The drawspan was towed back to place after the tide allowed for its movement.
As soon as that cable is fastened – expected within a couple of days – the risk of this happening again should be over, WSDOT assured the Times.
WSDOT thanked motorists for their patience during the closure. It’s asking boaters to request drawspan openings only during slack tides.
The project to replace those anchor cables will continue over the next several months.
