Deep dive into cause of SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge malfunction. Did the tug fix it?

By Cara Mitchell

SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge closed to vehicles but open for marine traffic during a boat opening. Marine openings are required by Federal law.

The State Route 104 Hood Canal Bridge is no ordinary bridge. Surrounded in salt water more than 300 feet deep, it floats like a boat on the surface of Hood Canal. On average 18,000 vehicles a day use the bridge. Communities in Jefferson and Kitsap counties use the bridge to get to appointments, work, school and vacation destinations. It’s also a key gateway for tourists who flock to the Olympic Peninsula.

Timeline

At 1 p.m. Monday, May 5, at the request of the United States Navy, we opened the bridge to allow for their boats to pass through. Per our protocols with any Department of Defense opening, our bridge cameras go dark. There is no advanced warning that the bridge is closing. This is done for security reasons.

We have a dedicated crew at the bridge with in-depth knowledge of the unique span. When they tried to close it so vehicles could drive across, the west half of the span wouldn’t move. Crews troubleshooted the issue for hours, but nothing worked.

They inspected gear boxes, power sources, motors and brakes. Everything looked fine, yet the west half wouldn’t budge. Our state bridge engineers, who were dispatched almost immediately following the malfunction, are based out of Olympia and were coming from work in Aberdeen. We knew the backups on US 101 might delay their arrival at the bridge, so we enlisted the help of Washington State Patrol to escort them through the backups.

Once state bridge engineers arrived at the bridge, they gave the okay to hook a tugboat up to the west half of the bridge. The tug gave it a pull. It worked. After that, the bridge was able to move on its own power. Out of an abundance of caution, we tested bridge functions one more time while the tugboat was on site. Again, the bridge behaved as it should. We opted to limit the marine openings to 300 feet until further inspections could be performed.

A commercial tugboat and WSDOT maintenance skiff in the waters along the Hood Canal before maneuvers to fix the malfunctioning west span of the bridge just before sundown Monday, May 5.

The next day, a bridge inspection team diver went down to look under the bridge. It allowed us to see if there were any obstructions beneath the icy waters of Hood Canal. The diver looked for evidence of debris stuck under the bridge or marine growth on the bridge bottom that could have caused the issue. They found nothing out of the ordinary. There was nothing that would have caused the bridge to malfunction. Another test opening took place Tuesday evening with the tugboat nearby. The bridge operated under its own power with no issues. The mystery deepened even further. The bridge works like normal. Nothing to indicate why it wouldn’t budge Monday night.

A WSDOT bridge inspector in dive gear, getting ready to inspect underwater portions of the floating Hood Canal Bridge the day after it malfunctioned.

Working theory to potential cause

There is no apparent mechanical or electrical cause. That leaves us with a working theory. It’s possible that some kind of underwater debris affected the span and dislodged when the tugboat pulled on the draw span.

When something isn’t working right, human instinct is to “diagnose and fix”. We would really like to pinpoint an exact cause. At the same time we have not seen any damage to the bridge. Our Hood Canal Bridge crew and state bridge engineers are continuing to evaluate this issue.

Why we open the bridge for boats

Under maritime rules, boats get the right-of-way over vehicles when bridges block the path of marine traffic. We understand it seems counterintuitive since there are more vehicles than marine vessels. However, long established law requires the Hood Canal Bridge and others like it (Title 33, Part 177 Draw Bridge Operations) to give marine traffic the right-of-way over vehicular traffic.

We have worked with regulators to prevent some seasonal drawspan openings. From May 22 to Sept. 30 each year, private vessels (pleasure craft) are prohibited from requesting a drawspan opening from 3 to 6:15 p.m. daily during the peak afternoon commute. The rule doesn’t apply to commercial, U.S Navy or other Department of Defense vessels.

But not all boats are the same and not all need the bridge to open. In those cases, the regulations require mariners to navigate under the truss spans of the bridge whenever possible. Mariners should not request draw span passage if their vertical clearance is enough to use elevated areas of the bridge.

Truss heights (smallest vertical clearances at Mean High Water) clearances vary based on tides and wave activity.

• Jefferson County (west) measures 31 feet
• Kitsap County (east) measures 50 feet

Requesting an unneeded draw span opening is a reportable offense to the United States Coast Guard and needlessly jams up traffic across the bridge.

Saltwater marine environment requires ongoing maintenance

When people drive across the third longest floating bridge in the world, they probably don’t think about what it means to be on a floating bridge on corrosive salt water.

The salty, marine environment requires the structure to have ongoing maintenance and construction.

The bridge is also regularly under pressure from wind, waves, and fast-moving tides. This past winter we’ve had to close the bridge due to strong winds and extreme tidal swings in the 300-foot-deep Hood Canal.

Because the bridge is so unique, many of its key elements are custom made. When a part wears out it takes a lot of time to fabricate and install a replacement. There is no other bridge like it in the world. Later this summer, we hope to wrap up work on the bridge’s center lock system, which is all custom work.

Here’s one of two systems that helps keep both halves of the bridge in place. 

Extended bridge closures

We try to avoid extended closures of the bridge as much as possible.

We don’t control the weather though. Long closures for wind and strong tides happen.

In most cases, when there’s a mechanical problem our dedicated bridge crew can address it in less time than it takes for folks to travel the 3-hour detours by road along the Hood Canal or by boat using the Port Townsend Ferry.

Sometimes, extended closures are necessary to complete vital projects that keep the bridge operational. However, these are almost always at night with advanced notice to travelers.

When extended closures occur, we ask that travelers waiting on the shoulder of US 101, SR 104 or SR 3 for the bridge to open to not block driveways for property owners. This creates challenges for local communities.

How to check the Hood Canal Bridge status

We offer several ways for bridge users to stay up to date in real time. Add these handy links to your travel toolkit when you plan trips across the water:

• Sign up for bridge closure notifications
• Check the bridge status page
• Download the WSDOT app
• Follow us on X/Twitter or Bluesky

Please visit our online open house for more information about the 2025 construction season and to sign up for updates.

Guess who’s back, back again! 2-boat Seattle/Bremerton ferry service and more!

By Bryn Hunter

Summer in Washington state is, in a word, perfect. Sunny skies, temperatures in the mid-70s and low 80s, and endless outdoor recreation opportunities.

And, for many, that means taking a ride on the iconic Washington State Ferries. The number of passengers doubles in the summer. It’s our Super Bowl.

This summer will be a notable one for our history books. We’re going to return to almost full domestic service three years earlier than originally planned.

We could not bring back more ferry service without our highly skilled crews. Our dedicated mariners are trained professionals who take safety seriously and are proud to serve their communities every day. 

Adding service

In early 2025, Gov. Bob Ferguson directed WSF to focus on service. Service restoration had been on hold until the new hybrid-electric ferries start arriving in 2029. With the governor’s direction, our Vessel Engineering department went to work. Thanks to their hard work, we’ll have the 18 vessels we need to add service beginning next month.

This summer we will bring back the following service:

• The Seattle/Bremerton route will return to its two-boat schedule starting Sunday, June 15.
• The Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth “Triangle” route will resume its pre-pandemic three-boat schedule beginning Monday, June 30.
• A second vessel will operate on the Port Townsend/Coupeville run every Friday through Monday from July 4 through the end of the route’s shoulder season on Oct. 13.

As we worked on these updated schedules, we wanted to make sure our Triangle route’s two-boat backup schedule would be more reliable. We heard from riders that you care more about predictable schedules than the number of sailings. That’s why we made the decision to move to a full three-boat weekend schedule this summer instead of a modified two-boat schedule with a third bonus boat.

We’re also going to operate a new summer schedule in the San Juan Islands. This comes after a robust, two-year public engagement process. We've launched new winter and spring seasonal sailings schedules on the route. Since then, we’ve seen a 20 percent improvement in on-time performance from the previous year. We’re optimistic that the new summer schedule will continue the trend.

The reality of adding service

We’ll need to crew three more boats daily for this added service. We've worked hard on our hiring and career development efforts. That means we’ve built a much more sustainable workforce pipeline to keep our crewing levels where we need them to be. But with more vessels in service, there will be fewer available relief crew members. That means an increased risk of short-term cancellations due to staffing shortages while we work to fill relief requests.

And with an aging fleet we know some vessels will be out for various reasons unexpectedly. They may be sidelined by a rogue crab pot or a mechanical breakdown as they work their nearly 24/7 service hours.

With these risks in mind, we’ve updated our Service Contingency Plan to show how we make service decisions with full transparency. Wonder why certain vessels can only operate on certain routes? Or why Sealth seems to travel throughout the entire ferry system? Check out the plan to read the full breakdown of what we do during service breakdowns.

We’re so excited to be able to offer more service for our over 19 million riders each year. Here’s to summer 2025, a good time to be excited about Washington State Ferries!

Diverging from the norm to deliver a diamond

Update: 2 p.m. Thursday, May 15, 2025

Canceled: The five-day closure of State Route 18 scheduled for May 15-21 has been cancelled due to forecast rain. It will be rescheduled to a later date.

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By David Rasbach 

Five-day closure of SR 18 sets the stage for summer interchange opening

We weren’t planning on a five-day extended weekend closure of State Route 18.
Instead we had a series of normal weekend closures planned over the next few months. But we want to keep the I-90/SR 18 Interchange Improvements project on schedule and moving efficiently, so we’re doing something different.

On Thursday night, May 15, both directions of SR 18 at the I-90 interchange near Snoqualmie will close. It will remain closed around the clock for five full days, reopening Wednesday morning, May 21. If we took the more common approach of overnight or weekend closures, this work would take months. This extended closure allows us to complete critical work in just five days.

We know this will be a major disruption. But it’s a strategic decision that helps avoid many weeks of recurring closures. It also puts us in a strong position to open the new diverging diamond interchange later this summer.

The May 15-21 closure of SR 18 will allow us to complete nearly three months of work on the south end of the new diverging diamond interchange in just five days.

What to expect during the closure

SR 18 will be fully closed in both directions at the I-90 interchange. This closure will be in effect from 9 p.m. Thursday, May 15, through 5 a.m. Wednesday, May 21. No traffic will be allowed under the I-90 bridges during this time.

We scheduled the closure between Mother’s Day (May 11) and Memorial Day weekend (May 26). We want to avoid the busiest holiday travel weekends.

What’s happening during the closure?

Crews will complete a major phase of work on the southern part of the new interchange, including:

• Installing new drainage and electrical crossings
• Removing the existing SR 18 pavement
• Rebuilding and paving the diverging diamond south of the I- 90 bridges
• Constructing concrete islands and curbs
• Creating a left-turn lane from westbound SR 18 onto Southeast 104th Street
• Installing a U-turn with a signal so eastbound SR 18 drivers can head westbound toward Auburn

All this work will be complete when the road reopens on Wednesday morning. The remaining steps will wrap up later this summer. This includes work under the I-90 bridges and on the northern part of the interchange.

This five-day closure allows us to complete in days what would normally take up to three months. It also reduces lane shifts on SR 18, improving safety for crews and people traveling.

Detour and access information

While mainline I-90 will remain open, traffic using on- and off-ramps will be restricted:

• Eastbound I-90 off-ramp traffic can only turn right (south) onto westbound SR 18
• Westbound I-90 off-ramp traffic can only turn right (north) onto Snoqualmie Parkway or continue onto westbound I-90
• No left turns will be allowed from either ramp
• Eastbound SR 18 traffic must detour via eastbound I-90 and loop around
• Southbound Snoqualmie Parkway traffic must detour via westbound I-90 and loop around

During the May 15-21 closure of SR 18, you can detour using eastbound and westbound I-90 and loop around at nearby interchanges – exit 20 (High Point Way) or exit 22 (Preston-Fall City) to the west of SR 18 or exit 27 (Southeast North Bend Way) east of SR 18 – to reach your destination.

Maintaining access: Emergency responders, Snoqualmie Valley School District, and Sound Transit buses will be allowed through the SR 18 work zone under the I-90 bridges during the closure.

Freight advisory: Freight haulers heading westbound on I-90 should plan ahead:

• Use Exit 22 (Preston–Fall City) to loop back to westbound SR 18
• Or continue west on I-90 to southbound I-405

Please do not use Issaquah city streets or Issaquah-Hobart Road. These streets are not suitable for semi-truck traffic.

Westbound I-90 freight traffic should either use exit 22 (Preston-Fall City) to loop back to SR 18 or continue on westbound I-90 to to southbound I-405. Issaquah city streets and Issaquah-Hobart Road are not suitable for semi-trucks.

Full detours will utilize:

• Exit 20 (High Point Way) or exit 22 (Preston-Fall City)
• Exit 27 (Southeast North Bend Way)

We expect delays, especially during peak travel times. Please plan ahead, leave early and consider alternate routes if possible. Real-time traffic updates are available via the WSDOT app and travel map.

People trying to reach Snoqualmie during the closure of SR 18 should use eastbound I-90, loop around to westbound I-90 at Southeast North Bend Way (exit) 27 and exit to SR 18/Snoqualmie Parkway.

During the closure of SR 18, people coming from Snoqualmie Pass will have to follow a detour to reach westbound SR 18, while people heading from eastbound SR 18 toward the pass can follow their normal route.

During the closure of SR 18, people coming from Snoqualmie and heading to Maple Valley or over Snoqualmie Pass will need to use westbound I-90 and loop around at the Preston or High Point interchanges.

During the closure of SR 18, people coming from south of the I-90/SR 18 interchange who need head west on I-90 will need to use eastbound I-90 and loop around at Southeast North Bend Way.

What’s next

This closure marks a major milestone in the I-90/SR 18 interchange project.

With the southern end complete, we can focus on building under the I-90 bridges and on the northern end of the interchange. This closure helps us take a big step toward improved traffic flow, reduced congestion and enhanced safety. Before you know it we’ll be polishing off a diamond of an interchange.

Once complete later this summer, the new I-90/SR 18 diverging diamond interchange will improve traffic flow, reduce congestion and increase safety through one of the state’s busiest interchanges.