An inspection of the Hood Canal Bridge on SR 104 left Washington State Department of Transportation engineers with only a working theory of what caused the extended closure on May 5.
Initially, …
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An inspection of the Hood Canal Bridge on SR 104 left Washington State Department of Transportation engineers with only a working theory of what caused the extended closure on May 5.
Initially, WSDOT stated that the closure was due to mechanical issues.
“During a routine closure for a marine vessel at 1:02 p.m. on Monday, May 5, the bridge experienced a mechanical malfunction,” the agency wrote in a bridge status report that day. "Maintenance crews are working to identify the cause of the malfunction.”
The bridge is regularly opened and closed for vessel traffic; this time, it was opened at the request of the United States Navy.
On-site crews with in-depth knowledge of the bridge troubleshooted the issue for hours, inspecting gear boxes, power sources, motors and brakes, with nothing found to explain the malfunction, prompting WSDOT to dispatch the state’s bridge engineers, according to a May 8 update on the investigation.
Once crews arrived on the scene, they hooked up a tugboat to the west half of the bridge and pulled it toward the other side, according to a May 8 update. After that, the bridge moved independently, restoring the traffic flow.
The closure lasted from 1 p.m. to around 9:30 p.m., causing confusion and congestion on alternative routes.
The following day, a bridge inspection team diver searched under the bridge to look for evidence of debris stuck under the bridge or marine growth that could have caused the tissue, but found nothing out of the ordinary.
“There was nothing that could have caused the bridge to malfunction,” according to the update, which mentions another test bridge opening took place on Tuesday, May 6. “The bridge operated under its own power with no issues. The bridge works like normal. Nothing to indicate why it wouldn't budge Monday night.”
WSDOT’s working theory is that some underwater debris prevented the bridge from closing and was dislodged when the tugboat began to pull the malfunctioning side.
“There is no apparent mechanical or electrical cause,” WSDOT wrote, mentioning that engineers are still evaluating the issue. “We would like to pinpoint an exact cause. At the same time, we have not seen any damage to the bridge.”
The floating bridge sees 18,000 vehicles a day on average. The original bridge was completed in 1961, but was rebuilt in 1983 after the west half sank on Feb. 13, 1979.
The current status of the bridge can be found on the WSDOT website.
