Crews have closed all but two lanes of the 1950s side of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge until further notice to do emergency repairs, the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) posted on social media about 2:45 p.m. Monday.
“We expect the lanes to remain closed for multiple days,” the post said.
Westbound SR-16’s HOV lane will be open for all drivers while the right two lanes will be closed, according to WSDOT.
“Repairs involve a damaged expansion joint,” the department said in a statement. “As part of the repairs, we will need to pour concrete and the curing time will take multiple days before it can be driven on.”
WSDOT warned drivers to expect delays.
“Plan for a challenging afternoon commute to Gig Harbor and Kitsap County,” said WSDOT.
The department is asking those who are able to consider teleworking, carpooling, traveling during non-peak hours, or combining trips, said April Leigh, WSDOT spokesperson, in a statement.
How bad the backups are in the coming days really depends how many drivers take advantage of those options, she said.
Mornings aren’t expected to be bad, given traffic patterns, but afternoons could be rough.
“What we really want people to know is that these lane closures are expected to be days, not hours,” Leigh said.
Crews found the damage during a routine inspection Monday.
The affected joint is one of the smaller ones. It’s in the middle of the span, between the towers, a little closer to the Gig Harbor side of the bridge. One side of the joint is clearly out of place, but crews won’t know the extent of the damage until they’re able to get in there, according to Leigh.
“This is wear and tear, and it’s one of the reasons that we have regular routine inspections on the bridge,” Leigh said.
Inspectors found damage around another joint on the bridge in January. In that case, they only needed to close lanes for a matter of hours.
Asked about the most recent time the agency had to do work related to an expansion joint on the bridge, prior to January, Leigh said it was definitely sometime in 2023.
In some cases a joint itself is damaged, and in some cases concrete next to a joint degrades over time, she said. Hot weather and cold weather are part of the problem. The metal joints freeze and they get hot — hotter than the concrete — she said.
It’s not clear if that played a role this time, she said, but “it’s definitely wear and tear of some kind.”
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Source: The News Tribune
