Work on the Agate Pass Bridge will wrap up a day earlier than expected, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

The deep-cleaning job on the span will finish at 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28.

WSDOT spokeswoman Claudia Bingham Baker said the work crew had unseasonably warm and dry weather for a big portion of the three weeks of the one-lane bridge closure.

Baker said repairs have included smoothing a bump on the pavement at the end of the bridge, replacing missing or rusted rivets, removing general rust from the bridge, adding over-height load signs on the bridge, repairing sidewalk joints, painting the new raised pedestrian railing, and other tasks.

“We are also pleased to report that the in-depth bridge inspection has revealed no obvious critical problems with the bridge. WSDOT bridge engineers, however, will take up to three months to complete their inspection analysis and finalize the inspection report,” she noted.

Baker also said crews will return to the bridge next February for annual bridge flushing, inspections and maintenance work.

The Agate Pass Bridge was last extensively cleaned in 1991, when the span was painted.

Built in 1950, the span is a steel truss cantilever bridge and is crossed by 22,000 vehicles every day.

Traffic jams during the one-lane closure period were less than imagined, and Baker thanked motorists for avoiding the bridge and taking other routes during the closure.

“WSDOT would like to extend a heart-felt thank you to the residents and commuters who modified their driving schedules, avoided the bridge during work hours, or switched to the Bremerton or Kingston ferries since early February. The intense effort has been successful for a number of reasons, including the favorable weather, good work planning and execution, and perhaps most importantly, lower traffic volumes,” Baker said.