SHINE — With its draw-span tower still attached, the largest of four east-half Hood Canal Bridge sections — the 928-foot flanking pontoons known as “the bulge” — was detached and towed north toward Canada late Thursday afternoon.

“It was a big day,” said Jamie Swift, Hood Canal Bridge project spokesman, who witnessed the effort to pull out the section, which was the equivalent of more than three football fields long.

The bridge closed a week ago for six weeks during replacement of the eastern half. That, plus the retrofit of the west-half — expected to be finished in 2010 — are estimated to cost the state Department of Transportation nearly $500 million.

The bridge’s entire eastern half is being towed north to Canada, where a Victoria developer is refurbishing the bridge floats in Cowichan for future marine uses, possibly for a marina and pier at Sidney on Vancouver Island.

West truss

Coming out next is the bridge’s west truss on the Jefferson County end of the bridge.

Swift said it would be removed beginning early this morning.

The DB General crane barge, the largest on the West Coast, will be brought in to lift the truss and place it on a barge.

Like the east truss, which was removed Monday from the Kitsap County side, its steel will be recycled.

Each truss weighs 180 tons.

The trusses, which allow the ridge to rise and fall with the ebb and flow of the tide, are attached to the land-based end structures of the bridge that support the vehicle on-ramps.

Progress on Thursday was a welcome change for workers after a more than a day of delay because of high wind on Tuesday and a forecast for stormy weather, which never developed, on Wednesday.

Gusting winds and 4-foot waves shut down passenger ferry service between the South Point dock on the Jefferson County side and the Lofall dock on the Kitsap shore all day Tuesday until 9 p.m.

That in turn idled transit service, except for some Starline Transportation coach runs around the bridge work site via state Highway 3 and U.S. Highway 101 from Port Gamble Park and Ride to Fred Hill Materials Shine Pit Park and Ride east and west of the bridge, respectively.

Once the old pontoons and road infrastructure are removed, three new U-shaped draw-span assembly pontoon sections will be replaced from west to east: first, a 943-foot section, then a 900-foot section and last, a 596-foot part.

Commuters can learn the status of Lofall-South Point water shuttle service by phoning 877-595-4222 or 5-1-1 or by checking www.hoodcanalbridge.com.

Additional get-around options include taking the Port Townsend-Edmonds evening ferry or the Port Townsend/Keystone ferry and Clinton-Mukilteo ferry, booking a private flight or boat service or driving around the canal on U.S. Highway 101.

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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.