SHINE — Eighty hours? Who needs 80 hours?
Despite repeated warnings that the second Hood Canal Bridge closure would not go as quickly as the first, which reopened the bridge almost 30 hours in advance of the predicted time on Aug. 13, Kiewit-General Construction workers did it again.
When the bridge opened at 8:46 p.m. Tuesday, it was more than 31 hours ahead of schedule.
The bridge closed 8 p.m. Sunday and was not scheduled to reopen until 4 a.m. Thursday.
“Kiewit-General deserves a lot of credit for the months of planning and hard work that allowed work to progress so smoothly,” said John Wynands, state Department of Transportation project chief engineer.
“We are pleased to be able to open the bridge to traffic earlier than our best estimates.”
People were waiting
And people were more than willing to wait for the bridge to open than face the option — driving around Hood Canal.
Marsha Eades was excitedly chatting with friends she knew from Port Townsend outside her car about 90 minutes before the bridge opened.
Eades, a 34-year Port Townsend resident, was first in line Tuesday night, waiting to drive across from the Jefferson County side.
She found out about the early opening on the radio, checked the Department of Transportation’s Web site and then drove down.
“I guess I feel honored,” Eades said.
“I am so impressed with how the guys worked and how beautifully it has been done.
“I guess I’m pretty excited.”