PORT ANGELES – It’s rather quiet now on the one-block stretch of Eighth Street between Pine and Cedar streets following Monday morning’s closure of the Valley Creek bridge.
A short distance to the west, little remains of the twin trestle that once carried Eighth Street over Tumwater Creek.
“We now officially are in no man’s land,” said Steven Bridge, owner of four businesses in the cut-off area.
The city is replacing the two bridges over Tumwater and Valley creeks with concrete girder bridges under a $18.4 million contract with Parsons RCI Inc. of Sumner.
The new bridges are scheduled to open around Nov. 1, 2008 – but until then residents and businesses in between them are only accessible via Pine Street from the north or Cedar Street from the south.