A 100-ton expansion joint stranded near Spokane got no closer to the new Tacoma Narrows bridge Wednesday and might not be ready to move until Friday.
The 70-foot-long bridge piece – which the state has refused onto Interstate 90 because it violates Washington’s weight restrictions – remains parked in a state Department of Transportation lot.
The Texas-based transport company, Big Boat Movers, and local contractors are working there to assemble a new set of trailers and supporting beams beneath it. If the weight is more broadly distributed, the truck can take to the freeway.
“The way it looks now, Thursday is a possibility for it to start, but Friday looks more likely,” said Claudia Cornish, a Transportation Department spokeswoman.
Because of state regulations governing how heavy loads are distributed on axles, Big Boat will have to lift up one end of the load with a crane, and reassemble trailers. Some will need to ride side-by-side, with cross beams between them to spread out the load.
The new configuration, approved by the Transportation Department, will have a 22 axles and take up two traffic lanes.
“It’s a Tinkertoy system,” said Bill Sinclair, a Shelton-based heavy hauler who has assisted Big Boat. “You put them together as needed.”
If all goes well, Cornish said, the joint could be at its destination – the Gig Harbor end of the new bridge – by Sunday.
Rob Carson: 253-597-8693
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