SHINE — The state Department of Transportation has scheduled closures of the Hood Canal bridge on state Highway 104 at 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.
The bridge will reopen at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.
The overnight closures will allow work crews to repair steel tracks on the bridge’s westbound span, WSDOT said.
The movable westbound span of the Hood Canal Bridge sits on wheels that roll it back along stationary steel tracks when the drawspan opens for boat traffic.
WSDOT has posted a video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSwhOEkQrek.
Wind, storm and tides keep the bridge in constant motion and cause the wheels to gyrate and bounce against the steel track, WSDOT said.
Severe weather and extreme tidal events have left dents in the track that are deep enough to affect drawspan alignment, the agency added.
If the span is not properly aligned, it can cause the bridge to malfunction during a marine opening or prevent the bridge spans from coming back together.
During the closures, contractors will straighten and weld the steel track, removing the dents so the drawspan aligns properly.
The work must be performed before the next storm season to keep the bridge functioning properly, WSDOT said.
Due to the nature of the work, the bridge will not open for any traffic, including emergency vehicles, during the closures.
Real-time information about the Hood Canal bridge is available at www.wsdot.com/traffic/hood canal or by downloading the WSDOT app.
