Bridge closing: Are you prepared?

Plans for nighttime repair work in March catch police, fire and the ferries off guard. With a slight crane of the neck, drivers crossing the Agate Passage Bridge can see the damage left by another kind of crane – one mounted atop a truck. Unbeknownst to its driver, a truck’s crane was still partially extended as it crossed the bridge last April, an oversight that gnawed $100,000 worth of teeth-marks into the girders stretching above the roadway. The Washington State Department of Transportation is preparing to repair the damage next month. WSDOT spokespeople say the project’s scope was carefully assessed, and the schedules of crews were coordinated to ensure that the work – which will close the bridge completely to car traffic for six-hour stretches over a three week period – will get done as quickly as possible. But according to the reactions of island leaders blindsided by the imminent closure, WSDOT may have made the planning equivalent of forgetting to put away your crane.

February 16, 2007 1:00 pm
Motorists pass across the Agate Passage Bridge beneath a series of girders badly damaged by an errant crane last April. The state Department of Transportation plans to repair the damage beginning March 4
Motorists pass across the Agate Passage Bridge beneath a series of girders badly damaged by an errant crane last April. The state Department of Transportation plans to repair the damage beginning March 4

Plans for nighttime repair work in March catch police, fire and the ferries off guard.

With a slight crane of the neck, drivers crossing the Agate Passage Bridge can see the damage left by another kind of crane – one mounted atop a truck.

Unbeknownst to its driver, a truck’s crane was still partially extended as it crossed the bridge last April, an oversight that gnawed $100,000 worth of teeth-marks into the girders stretching above the roadway.

The Washington State Department of Transportation is preparing to repair the damage next month.

WSDOT spokespeople say the project’s scope was carefully assessed, and the schedules of crews were coordinated to ensure that the work – which will close the bridge completely to car traffic for six-hour stretches over a three week period – will get done as quickly as possible.

But according to the reactions of island leaders blindsided by the imminent closure, WSDOT may have made the planning equivalent of forgetting to put away your crane.

“We didn’t know about this until Tuesday,” said Police Chief Matt Haney, who learned of the impending closure through a story on the Bainbridge Island Review’s web site.

Similar responses came from other local officials including interim fire chief Glen Tyrrell, and from Washington State Ferries – itself an arm of WSDOT – a spokesperson for whom said her agency also was unaware of the planned closure and had made no plans for it.

Beginning March 4, both lanes of the bridge will be completely closed to car traffic between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m., Sunday through Thursday, as the girders are repaired.

Traffic will be pared to one lane for the two hours before and after each closure, according to a WSDOT release. Both lanes will be open to all traffic on Fridays and Saturdays and between the hours of 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. during the rest of the week.

Surprised by the announcement, Bainbridge emergency officials expressed concern about whether their work – which sometimes requires off-island trips in the middle of the night – would be hindered by construction.

WSDOT said workers will allow emergency responders to cross the bridge, but clearing a path could take up to fifteen minutes.

Like Haney, Tyrrell said he didn’t hear about the closure until mid-week. He wondered how it would impact firefighters who don’t live on the island and would be trying to cross the bridge in unmarked vehicles.

“If I call a backup medic, I assume they’ll be coming out this way as soon as possible,” he said. “I don’t expect them to be waiting around for clearance.”

Told of Tyrrell’s concern, spokeswoman Kelly Stowe said WSDOT would look into ways to expedite crossings for all emergency workers, even those in private vehicles.

Haney worried about traffic trying to get off the island, particularly cars coming from the 9 p.m. sailing that will likely be approaching the bridge near the time it’s scheduled to close.

WSF spokesperson Susan Harris-Huether said the ferry system knew the work was coming, but didn’t know the dates of the closure until this week. Because of the late notice, its plans for dealing with the inconvenience remain uncertain.

“We will do everything we can to make sure people know about this,” Harris said, adding that WSF could possibly add extra runs on the Edmonds-Kingston route to compensate for the limited access off the island.

Stowe said WSDOT didn’t nail down the work dates until early this week.

Since then the agency has been contacting different groups, including nursing homes, to make sure contingency plans are in place and people know about the closure.

WSDOT on Tuesday said pedestrians wouldn’t be allowed to cross the bridge during construction, before reversing field later in the week. Stowe said the agency was exploring transit options for those who will be forced to walk across the bridge, but nothing is imminent.

The Clearwater Casino, which normally offers shuttle service from the Bainbridge terminal, will send its shuttles to Kingston during the construction.

WSDOT Operations Engineer Chris Keegan said workers will use welders, torches and hydraulic jacks to cut out and replace several of the overhead spans damaged in the crash.

Crews had hoped to do some of the work off-site before determining the bulk of the work – which for safety requires them to close the bridge – would have to be done on the bridge deck.

The trucking company responsible for the damage, ECO-PAN of Kent, is paying for the repairs.

The crew will consist of six workers and four traffic controllers. Washington State Patrol will help direct traffic.

Keegan said they would be mindful of ferry traffic and would use discretion when deciding exactly when to close the bridge.

“We’re not going to just say ‘it’s 10 p.m.’ and shut off traffic,” he said. “We’ll wait until things die down.”