bluebullitt2003. West-half reconstruction and 1982 re-opening, Associated Press. It does, particularly because only 11 years ago another regionally famous floating bridge broke up and sank in heavy weather. In that storm, The Hood Canal Floating Bridge broke apart and sank to the bottom. Highway officials faced a dire situation. [2] It carries State Route 104 across Hood Canal of Puget Sound and connects the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas. His consulting for government agencies included NASA, the National Science Foundation and Washington state, including an analysis of factors that led to the sinking of the Hood Canal Bridge during a 1979 storm. [10][11] The west portion replacement had been designed and constructed in less than three years using $100 million in federal emergency bridge replacement funds at a total cost of $143 million (equivalent to $379 million today).[12]. [3] In its marine environment, the bridge is exposed to tidal swings of 16.5 feet (5 m).[5]. He was also brother of famed broadcaster Edward R. Murrow. The third-longest is the Hood Canal Bridge, about thirty miles (50 km) to the northwest. Are climatologists studying the pandemic’s effect on Puget Sound? “Galloping Gertie” was blown down in a gale just four months after it opened. Meanwhile, passenger cars whizzed by on the adjacent new bridge. Jump to Date Confirm Graph Plots Open in Graphs. The bridge reopened as a toll bridge, but tolls were lifted in 1985 after a court ruled that the insurance settlement constituted repayment of the construction bonds, and since federal funds were used in reconstructing the bridge, the Washington State Department of Transportation could not charge tolls after the bonds were retired. The convenience it provides has had a major impact on economic development, especially in eastern Jefferson County.[3]. Then, somebody had a brainstorm: hook up tugboats to the new bridge to keep it from blowing away. But when the old bridge sank it severed anchor cables on the new bridge. In that storm, The Hood Canal Floating Bridge broke apart and sank to the bottom. Accounts say that passenger cars and a semi-truck barely made it off before the bridge broke apart and sank. Details. For weekday trips 33% were for work, 17% for personal, 14% for business, 11% for medical, 9% for social, and 8% for recreational reasons. The video count produced a weekday average of 14,915 trips/day and a weekend average of 18,759 trips/day. The hollow pontoons filled with water and sank. Monday traffic was a mess. The Hood Canal Bridge (officially William A. Bugge Bridge) is a floating bridge located in the U.S. state of Washington that carries Washington State Route 104 across Hood Canal and connects the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas. The cables help to stabilize the bridge. On the weekend 48% of westbound trips originated on the north and central Kitsap Peninsula, with 88% of the destinations in areas near Port Ludlow, Port Townsend, Sequim, and Port Angeles. Within the first two weeks of construction, artifacts were found from an ancestral burial ground from an ancient village called Tse-whit-zen. A new contractor was hired and the design modified. And then, in February 1979, there was another big blow in Washington state, along with a lot of waves. As in Washington, Norway has its share of water near population centers. 65-foot boat started sinking 1.3 miles SW of the Hood Canal Bridge. [6][7][8][9] The western drawspan and the pontoons of the western half had broken loose and sunk, despite the drawspan being opened to relieve lateral pressure. In a rather unique fashion, the Hood Canal bridge does neither. Storms have the potential to close the SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge until weather conditions improve. The transition spans and center draw span were also replaced during this closure. In a project that lasted from 2003 to 2009, WSDOT replaced the east-half floating portion of the bridge, the east and west approach spans, the east and west transition spans, and the west-half electrical system. This route had been discontinued after the 1961 bridge opening and the state needed to reacquire access to and restore operational conditions on both landings. When they work, a floating bridge is an engineering marvel. Remember the Mercer Island floating bridge going under in 1990, or the sinking of the Hood Canal floating bridge in 1979? First opened 59 years ago in 1961, it was the seco… However, long established law requires the Hood Canal Bridge and others like it (Title 33, Part 177 Draw Bridge Operations) to give marine traffic the right-of-way over vehicular traffic. The original bridge closed in 1989; with the current bridge … Take the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge back in November 1940. The pontoons are bolted together and then tethered with heavy cables to giant concrete anchors on the lake bottom. This story originally aired on Nov. 26, 2012. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the grounding and sinking of the recreational yacht Silver Lining was the vessel’s operator not properly determining the ship's position approaching the west span of the Hood Canal Bridge from the south. In November 1990, the Lacey V. Murrow Bridge was 50 years old, and it was being refurbished. Then, over Thanksgiving weekend, as often happens, a big storm blew in to Western Washington. 65-foot boat sinking near Hood Canal Bridge (KOMO video) Eventually it became too dangerous to stay on board and the eight people evacuated to a dinghy and row to shore. 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