PORT ANGELES — Frank McPhee doesn’t have to wait for the scheduled six-week closure of the Hood Canal Bridge to affect his small business.
“It already has,” says McPhee, 71, owner of McPhee’s Grocery in Port Angeles.
“I’ve been loading up for the past several weeks.”
The specialty store sells Asian, Mexican and eastern European food, beer and wine. He’s been making frequent trips to the Seattle-area warehouses to stock up on supplies before the scheduled six-week closure throws a wrench into his commute.
Beginning May 1, he and thousands of others will have to take a passenger ferry, the Port Townsend ferry or drive Highway 101 around the west side of Hood Canal.
“It’s scenic, but if you’re working, it’s a terrible road to go on,” McPhee said.
“There are going to be people pulling trailers and sightseers, so the traffic’s going to be bad.”
McPhee is among those who responded to a PDN published request for comments on how the closure of the Hood Canal Bridge will affect them, either personally or in their businesses.
Here are other excerpts:
Molly Robertson, of Sequim
“There are two things about the Hood Canal bridge closing that will affect my husband and me.
“First, the closure is right at the best real estate time. Our house is going on the market May 1, the day of the closure, and that is a concern.
“Second, anything that reaches the NW Peninsula will likely be more expensive over those six or more weeks because of longer travel routes.”
Evelyn Johnson, Port Angeles
“For almost three years now, every two or three weeks, I’ve traveled over to Skagit Valley to visit with my mom who is living in an Alzheimer’s/Dementia care facility. I used to take the Port Townsend ferry over to Whidbey Island and Highway 20 north.
“But now that they put in a wimpy (and sometimes dangerous by the reported accidents last year) ferry out of Port Townsend that requires residents of the peninsula to make reservations to get on it, I’ve been relying on the frequent, and reliable Kingston/Edmonds ferry.
“I dread the possibility of another emergency with my mom if that should occur during the upcoming time of the Hood Canal Bridge closure.
“In an emergency, I would frankly not know what would be more timely or reliable, the reservation for the Port Townsend ferry, or to just take the drive all the way over the Tacoma Bridge and back up I-5.”
Robin Alexis, Port Angeles
“My husband, Bob Bordonaro and I work from our Port Angeles home except for one day a week. We normally travel to Seattle for our live call-in radio show, ‘Mystic Radio with Robin Alexis,’ on Alternative Talk KKNW.
“As a result of the bridge closing we have had to rent a portable radio system called a “tie line” so that we can do our radio show from home. We did our first show from home last week.
“It really is quite a neat experience sitting in our breakfast nook at home and being live on the air with people from all over the world who call into our radio show. We have calls from our listeners from all over the United States as well as from Iraq, China, Japan, France and more.”
Patty and Bert Hendricks, Sequim
“My husband, a native Washingtonian, had lived on this side for many years. Come retirement and we made the decision to try Sequim for home base. John Wayne Marina and our boat was where we settled for 3¬½ years.
“During that time, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. While living in Seattle we had chosen Group Health Cooperative as our health care providers and decided to continue, knowing we would have to go to one of the existing clinics for care.
“Without exception, that meant crossing the bridge. During this time, we had also bought property and were building a house.
“Happily I recovered, but was faced with another reason for frequent bridge crossings. My mother was in a nursing home in Seattle. It was two years before we were able to get her to Sequim.
“Last week, to our satisfaction, each member [of Group Health] over here received a flyer, ‘Planning your health care during the Hood Canal Bridge Closure (May1-June 2009).’ It provides a chart listing how to get routine care, urgent and emergency care and prescriptions, as well as resources to call for help.”
Laurel Cripe, Port Angeles
“I live in Port Angeles and teach tennis indoors at the Bainbridge Athletic Club on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday every week. I’ve kept this schedule over the last couple years. …
“Starting in May, I also teach tennis for the city of Port Angeles on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I will have to be working on both sides of the bridge….
“I’m sure I’ll be glad when the bridge reopens — it’ll give me a whole new appreciation for life.
L. Worthey, Port Angeles
“My first born and only daughter is due with her first baby May 17 and she lives in Mountlake Terrace and I live in Port Angeles. Not a big deal unless the bridge is closed for repairs.
“I have the choice of taking the bus, or flying on Kenmore Air, but either way I am on someone else’s schedule.
“Everyone thinks that driving around is the answer, but I can only imagine how bad the traffic will be during the bridge closure.
“What this means to our family, is that some family members will not be able to welcome the new family member for up to two months after his birth.
“I know that the bridge repair is necessary, but it couldn’t come at a worse time for our family.”
Connie Miller, Port Angeles
“We have three grandchildren who are on the ‘other side of the pond.’ One of them has a birthday June 11, so we will have to postpone the party until after the bridge has re-opened.
“Also, we are expecting another grandchild in June, and it will mean a much longer trip to get to see him and the others. We can only hope that he will born after the bridge work is completed.”
Kim Sands, Port Townsend
“We have a lot of adjustments to make for the bridge closure here at Port Townsend Brewing Co.
“We deliver kegged and bottled beer to Seattle twice a week and we’re going to have to take advantage of the ferry from Edmonds to P.T. and back.
“As none of our accounts will take a midnight delivery, we had to hire someone who lives in Seattle to take the ferry to P.T. get the delivery truck and take the ferry back, go to bed and then get up and deliver in the morning.”
Bob Triggs, Port Townsend
“I am a professional licensed flyfishing guide here on the Olympic Peninsula. Many of my summer guests include traveling anglers from all corners of the world.
“With the Hood Canal Bridge construction closure planned for anywhere from a month to two months long, many of my long-distance guests are having to rearrange their travel schedules and routes to be able to get out here during that time…. And quite a few of them have decided not to come…
“Coming off of a slow winter steelhead guiding season out here — some say the slowest in 20 years — with undulating river conditions, storms and especially poor returns of fish, the bridge closure comes at a bad time.
“For my own part, I will not be leaving the Olympic Peninsula during the bridge closure. There are so many fun and interesting things to do here that I rarely go elsewhere anymore.
“Perhaps the greatest advantage to the Hood Canal Bridge closure might be that we all will have the opportunity to rediscover the places and neighbors that we tend to take for granted — right here on our own beautiful, wild and scenic Olympic Peninsula.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
