Once the Hood Canal Bridge is closed at 12:01 a.m. Friday, the routine of crossing Hood Canal becomes a matter of driving or riding a bus to park-ride-lots on each side with a passenger ferry water shuttle in between for the next six weeks.

That’s an hour-long experience compared to the two-minute car ride across the floating bridge at 40 mph that travelers are accustomed to.

“It’s still not too late to plan your trip,” said Becky Hixson, state Department of Transportation bridge project business and communications manager.

“We are asking that people be patient.”

Docks at South Point in Jefferson County and Lofall in Kitsap County are ready for the bridge construction closure, Hixson said Friday.

So are park-and-ride lots at the Fred Hill Materials Shine Pit in Jefferson County and Port Gamble on the Kitsap County side.

Bus rides to and from the park-and-ride lots are free during the bridge closure, as is the 149-passenger water shuttle provided by Port Angeles’ Victoria Express.

The water shuttle service will run every 30 minutes across the canal, starting at 4 a.m. and ending at 11 p.m. seven days a week.

A water shuttle ambulance will be docked at South Point in the event of a medical emergency transport to Kitsap County or Seattle hospitals, with Jefferson County emergency medical technicians from Port Ludlow, Poulsbo and other fire districts trained for duty.

Each park-and-ride lot holds up to 1,500 vehicles each.

The state has budgeted $10 million for temporary infrastructure and road improvements and Hixson said the bridge construction-period transportation facilities should make for seamless transportation if travelers plan ahead.

Jefferson Transit officials have hired more than 40 additional temporary staff and found 14 buses from several counties and cities to boost transit service to and from the Fred Hill Materials and the South Point water shuttle dock.

On the Kitsap side of the water, Seattle-based Starline Transportation has been hired to shuttle riders between the Lofall dock and Port Gamble park and ride.

No private passenger vehicles will be allowed beyond the park and ride facilities, DOT officials said, and State Patrol troopers will enforce that rule. Only local traffic will be allowed to use South Point Road, which also leads to residences on Thorndyke Road south.

Jefferson Transit will pick up bicyclers at the Olympic Peninsula Gateway Visitor Information Center on Beaver Valley Road near state Highway 104.

Other information travelers wanting to cross the canal should know:

• Only service animals and animals in pet carriers will be allowed on buses and the water shuttle. All other pets are prohibited.

• For safety reasons, only transit will be allowed to access the water shuttle docks in Lofall and South Point. Not even bicycles will be allowed to ride down Highway 104 and South Point Road.

• In Kitsap County, bicyclists and drivers must use the Port Gamble Park and Ride.

To get to the Shine Pit park and ride, take state Highway 19 south, turn left (east) onto state Highway 104, turn right onto Rock-to-go Road and follow the signs to the park and ride.

From Port Angeles, take U.S. Highway 101 east, turn right onto Highway 104 east, then turn right onto Rock-to-go Road and follow the signs.

From Bremerton, take state Highway 3 north, which becomes state Highway 104 at the Hood Canal Bridge. Take 104 into Port Gamble and take left onto Northeast Pacific Avenue, following signs to the park and ride, which is below the commercial district at the former Port Gamble mill site.

From Poulsbo, take state Highway 305 northwest, then take a right and merge onto Highway 3, which becomes 104 at the Hood Canal Bridge to Port Gamble, and left onto Northeast Pacific Avenue.

Drivers can leave their vehicles at the park and ride lots for the duration of the six-week closure. They can do that starting Wednesday to ensure they have a vehicle where they need it for commuting purposes. The lots are fenced, lighted and have 24-hour security. RVs will not be allowed to park at the lots.

Park and ride lots in Port Gamble and at Shine Pit are scheduled to open Wednesday. Security will start that day and continue daily and around the clock until the bridge reopens. During the closure the lots will be open to the public from 3 a.m. until midnight each day.

Jefferson Transit will provide free bus service from the Port Gamble park and ride for those leaving a vehicle there during the closure, beginning Thursday, the day before the bridge closes.

Jefferson Transit will provide pick-ups at 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday, returning on the No. 7 Poulsbo route through Paradise Bay, Port Ludlow, Mats Mats Bay, Port Hadlock/Irondale, Four Corners, and the Haines Place Park and Ride in Port Townsend. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 1-360-385-6747.

Because the Sunday-Thursday night Port Townsend-Edmonds ferry run was created to assist freight haulers, the middle section of the vessel, which typically accommodates RVs and trucks pulling trailers, will be designated for freight vehicles only.

Travelers can sign up to receive text messages before and during the Hood Canal Bridge closure to ensure they’ll know whenever there is an incident affecting traffic on the Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas. Go to the bridge project’s home page at www.hoodcanalbridge.com/ home page.

Fire Districts and ambulance companies on both sides of the Hood Canal will assist. The water shuttle will have a section designed to accommodate individuals being transferred and transported via stretcher. The water shuttle will be docked at South Point daily from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. and will be on-call to assist with medical transports.

The medical bus service will offer a fare-free reservation-based service during the May-June 2009 Hood Canal Bridge closure to individuals who receive ongoing medical treatment and do not require constant monitoring or care.

Community organizations and health-care providers are also taking steps to make sure people get the care they need. Examples include:

Airlift Northwest is working closely with regional health-care providers to coordinate medical air transportation services.

* East Jefferson Fire-Rescue has been meeting with other fire districts on the Olympic Peninsula and in Kitsap County to develop contingency plans for transporting patients to Bremerton’s Harrison Medical Center and Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia area hospitals.

* East Jefferson Fire-Rescue has sent a letter to the Washington State Insurance commissioner and the medical insurance companies it currently bills for such services to make them aware of the possibility of longer transports during the bridge closure. These longer transports will result in increased costs.

* Jefferson Healthcare hospital in Port Townsend has formed a task force to analyze and address issues raised by the closure and will make appropriate service and staffing adjustments. Its work includes close collaboration with other facilities in the area.

* Jefferson County Fire District No. 3 is planning staffing and service adjustments.

* Kenmore Air plans to offer enhanced pontoon plane services to accommodate passengers in Port Hadlock and Port Ludlow to Seattle.

* Rocket Transportation, based in Carlsborg, is providing door-to-door pick ups for service from Port Angeles, Sequim and Port Townsend to drive around the bridge project to SeaTac Airport, while Port Angeles-based Olympic Bus Lines is providing transportation from fixed locations in Port Angeles, Sequim and Port Townsend, using the Port Townsend-Keystone ferry to Whidbey Island, then the Clinton-Mukilteo ferry to the Interstate 5 corridor.

* Northwest Emergency Medical Services has been working closely with Airlift Northwest, area hospitals, fire and emergency medical services from across the region, the Department of Emergency Management, the Department of Homeland Security and other key stakeholders to plan for the closure. It is also preparing fact sheets and informational materials for residents.

Alternative routes auto around the bridge project:

* To Olympia: Take U.S. Highway 101 southbound along Hood Canal to Olympia.

* To Bremerton and Tacoma take 101 southbound along Hood Canal to state Highway 3 at Shelton. Take 3 northbound through Belfair to its intersection with state Highway 16 eastbound to Tacoma.

* To Seattle take 101 southbound along Hood Canal to 3 at Shelton. Take 3 northbound through Belfair to Bremerton and follow the signs to the Washington State Ferry terminal in downtown Bremerton. Take the ferry to Seattle.

To helpΩkeep freight trucks and people moving during the six-week Hood Canal Bridge closure, Washington State ferries will provide an evening sailing from Edmonds to Port Townsend Sundays through Thursdays during the closure.

Sailings begin next Sunday, and crossing time is about an hour and 45 minutes, departing Edmonds at 8:40 p.m. and Port Townsnd at 11 p.m. Advanced vehicle reservations are required for all commercial vehicles traveling on this route.

Commercial reservations must be made at least 24 hours in advance of the sailing.

The ferry has capacity for up to six 82-foot tractor trailer trucks and 86 passenger-vehicles.

Reservations for this route are available by phone only from 7 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. daily.

A reservation can be made up to one week in advance, beginning today. Call customer service at: 877-595-4222 or 5-1-1.

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