Paul Gahr, who grew up in Port Townsend, is the supervisor for the Hood Canal Bridge.

Photo courtesy of the Washington State Department of Transportation

Paul Gahr has a dream job, he said, and there’s no other place he’d rather be.

Well, maybe one other place.

Gahr, 56, is the supervisor for the Hood Canal Bridge.

The Highway 104 span across the fjord on Jefferson County’s eastern edge is truly unique; it’s the largest floating bridge across tidal waters in the world, and the structure itself is estimated to weigh nearly 5,000 tons.

The bridge — 1.5 miles in length — first opened in 1961 and is crossed by roughly 18,000 vehicles per day.

Gahr has a long history crossing the Hood Canal Bridge (officially known as the William A. Bugge Bridge). He was raised in Port Townsend, and went to school here, from kindergarten through high school, before he left for the military after graduation in 1982.

After his hitch in the Army, he came back to the Northwest and spent a few years in Alaska as a commercial fisherman.

Most of his working life, however, has been set by concrete.

Gahr said he spent 22 years as a concrete pump operator for a company out of Poulsbo. 

He ran a 100-foot boom truck, sending a stream of concrete into places where wheelbarrows refuse to roll.

“It was a cool job,” Gahr said, and one that took him to job sites from Tacoma to Neah Bay and all parts in between.

But when the bottom fell out of the construction industry in the Great Recession, Gahr decided to trade one long ribbon of concrete for another.

“Concrete, and the economy, was on a downturn quite a bit and then there wasn’t much work. And, of course, bills don’t go away,” he said.

NEW TO THE CREW

Gahr saw an advertisement for a position on the bridge and was hired by the Washington State Department of Transportation in April 2014.

As Hood Canal Bridge supervisor, it’s Gahr’s job to make sure the bridge crew has everything they need to keep the span open for traffic on the road and in the water below.

Security considerations prevent Gahr from detailing much of what happens on the bridge on a day-to-day basis, but this much he can say: There’s a lot of meetings, a lot of safety sessions. Plus training and employee evaluations; typical supervisor stuff.

The work setting is pretty unique, though, considering it’s often the east side tower or the west side tower looking out across postcard-perfect Hood Canal. 

“I’ve got the nicest office around. I’m looking out the window right now at the calm water. It’s breathtaking;
I have to pinch myself,” he said.

The scenery is spectacular, he said, especially the wildlife.

“Every year we have different range of birds that show up on the bridge or right off the bridge,” Gahr said. 

Pigeon guillemots are an entertaining favorite.

“They are just this funny little fat bird; they nest up on the bridge.”

Like so much other wildlife, coming by the Hood Canal Bridge is just a temporary visit in a much longer journey. 

Same for guillemots when the weather starts to turn cold.

“You can tell winter’s coming because they are just gone.”

A rotating cast of feathered visitors stop by the bridge to eat; feeding from the side of the span itself.

They’re not alone in their choice for best dining with a view.

“We get a lot of whale sightings out here,” Gahr added. 

“We’ll see a big spout of water. Occasionally, we’ll get the transient orcas.”

“Great big sea lions, like thousand-pounders — they will sit there and float up to the top of the water, with their big faces and their whiskers.”

Long salty stares are followed by a bit of bellicose bragging.

“They make this incredible noise, then they get back to looking for food and they swim right along side the bridge,” Gahr said.

He’s seen more beautiful yachts and pleasure craft than the most bountiful boat show, as well as Navy vessels, research ships, fishing boats.

Earlier that day, he recalled the huge crane on a barge that came through the opened span, towed by a tug boat.

“We get to see that all first-hand. It’s all right through our back yard.” 

From a scenic standpoint — sunrises, sunsets, the seasons — there’s no best time for a sensational sight out his work window.

“I’d have to say, every day,” he said. “Every part of the day down here is a gift to be able to see this.”

BOTH SIDES NOT THE SAME

There are some days where the water is glassy calm on one side, with white-topped waves on the other side of the span. And days when the wind is so bad that the bridge itself has to be opened to relieve pressure on the bridge.

The bridge is the longest concrete floating bridge on tidal saltwater in the world. Tidal swings can surpass 16 feet.

“It’s hard to wrap your head around that,” he said.

There’s always something new to learn, but Gahr said he was surrounded by a diverse team of experts.

“That alone is a joy; to work with such good people working for WSDOT. They make sure we have everything we need to be successful,” he said. “I’m just one part of the program here. We have a great team; I just happen to have the supervisor’s role.

“It takes a well dedicated team out here of very intelligent people in their fields, electrical and mechanical fields. It’s not just me; it’s this team,” Gahr said.

Gahr’s biggest joys outside work revolve around his family; he’ll be a new grandpa in July. He lives near Discovery Bay, in Diamond Point with his wife Kirstina; their son and his wife live in Sequim, while their daughter is a math teacher at Auburn Middle School.

Hobbies include fishing, mostly for king salmon, as well as traveling abroad.

“I love traveling, meeting new people, experiencing  different cultures, eating different foods,” he said.

Beach-combing and exploring the shore is another hobby. Gahr still has an old glass buoy he found when he was 16.

“I like going after a big storm. Just seeing what the ocean gave up,” he said.

A passion in his past was jet sprint boat racing; Gahr was a champion-level racer during his 11 years in the sport.

His racing skills also give a hint to his real dream job.

“I would drive NASCAR. Absolutely, 100 percent,” Gahr said.

READY AND WAITING

Even so, he said his current gig on the bridge is pretty sweet.

And like any NASCAR driver, he gets a lot of help. Everyone who works on the bridge is proficient in opening the bridge to boat traffic.

Openings are scheduled in advance, he said. Boaters can’t just sail up to the bridge, toot a horn and set the span in motion.

And how long the bridge stays open for a boat depends on the size of the vessel, he said. A sailboat might scoot through super quick. A submarine, low and slow.

For those waiting on the people in the towers to get the bridge closed to boats but open to cars, Gahr can sympathize. He said he’s often been one of the people stuck on the span, waiting to cross.

“Oh yeah,” he answered when asked if he’s ever been stopped short on one side, waiting in his car for a boat to pass through. “I feel their pain out there.”

“People have deadlines to meet; we all understand that here at the bridge,” he added. “We are all working as fast as we can, as safe as we can, to get this opened and closed for the traveling public.”

Earlier in the day, he recalled a disabled vehicle on the bridge that was brought back to life with a battery jump.

“These are our challenges every day,” he added.

“This person happened to leave leave their lights on while they turned their car off,” Gahr recalled.

The response to such scenarios are planned in advance, he said, and the bridge crew serves as first responders to incidents on the span.

“That’s all part of the package,” he said.

His advice for those stranded by a span opening: Enjoy it while it lasts.

“I have been stuck many, many times. And if you are one of the ones stuck on the bridge, get out, look over the side, enjoy the view.”