Olympic Peninsula residents traveling eastward should expect traffic delays if heading for Bainbridge Island and the Bainbridge-Seattle ferry.

The State Route 305 Agate Pass Bridge, which links Bainbridge Island to the Kitsap Peninsula, is to be reduced to one lane during daytime hours for 21 consecutive days beginning Monday, Feb. 9. Drivers are advised to expect long traffic delays while Washington State Department of Transportation bridge preservation and maintenance crews hand-clean and low-pressure-wash the bridge’s chords and areas under the deck.

Between Monday, Feb. 9, and Saturday, Feb. 28, drivers should expect single-lane alternating traffic at the bridge each Monday through Friday between 8:45 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays from 7:45 a.m. to 3 p.m.

On Friday, Feb. 13, crews plan to stop work at 2:45 p.m. to accommodate Presidents Day holiday ferry traffic. Bicycle and pedestrian traffic are to be escorted across the bridge during work hours.

The 1,020 foot-long Agate Pass Bridge is used by 22,000 vehicles each day. During the seven hours between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., SR 305 carries about 4,600 vehicles in each direction.

“We know that daytime closures will cause traffic delays, and we wouldn’t be doing the work this way unless we thought it was absolutely necessary. We want to make sure that nothing, not the crews, the equipment, the driving public or the bridge, are damaged in this process,” said WSDOT Assistant Region Administrator Troy Cowan. “We’re doing everything we can [to] work safely and efficiently, including working seven days a week and having multiple crews working above and below the bridge every day.”

WSDOT anticipates lengthy traffic delays at the bridge while the work is under way. Drivers should plan extra time into their trips, minimize discretionary trips, use the bridge before or after the work hours, or consider adjusting work schedules during this time.

Work hours were coordinated with the Washington State Ferries schedule to minimize impacts to ferry users. Ferry service should not be affected, however drivers are advised to add additional travel time to reach the Bainbridge Island ferry terminal. Ferry users are also encouraged to consider using the Bremerton or Kingston ferries during this time.

The last time the Agate Pass Bridge received such an in-depth cleaning was in 1991 when it was last painted. Cleaning the bridge improves the efficiency of WSDOT’s rigorous bridge inspection program and ensures the maintenance and repairs extend the bridge’s useful life.