A major new bridge construction project over Lake Washington is expected to create 175 new jobs in Pierce County, the state Department of Transportation told Tacoma port commissioners Thursday.
That project over the next two and a half years will create 44 new floating bridge sections for use in the replacement of the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge between Seattle and Bellevue.
The project’s general contractor, Kiewit-General-Manson, is just beginning preparatory work before construction of 77 floating sections for the bridge under a $586 million contract with the state. The other 33 sections will be built in a graving dock in Aberdeen.
The state Route 520 bridge is being replaced because it’s reached the end of its useful lifespan.
John White, project director for the state for the floating bridge replacement, said the floating sections are being built in two locations because no one location was large enough to accommodate the full project. The floating sections that will be built in Aberdeen are larger – as long as 360 feet – than those that will be constructed in Tacoma.
Those sections built on the coast will have to be towed up the coast, through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and down into Puget Sound. That tow could be particularly challenging if the weather turns rough, said White.
The transit from Tacoma to Lake Washington will be shorter and less problematic because the route will be in inland waters. The sections will pass through the Ballard Locks and into Lake Union before arriving at the bridge site in Lake Washington.
The Tacoma site is adjacent to the Blair Waterway near East 11th Street.
The site is the same one that the state used several years ago to build replacement sections for the Hood Canal Floating Bridge. That bridge partially sank during a storm. White said the 520 bridge project will be much larger than the Hood Canal Bridge project.
White said the state offered contractors bidding on the project a choice of several sites to build the pontoons. Among those was a site in Olympia. None of the bidders, however, proposed building bridge sections in Olympia.
On average, about 175 workers will be employed on the bridge-building project in Tacoma.
At its peak, the construction employment will be higher, but at other times, it will drop below that figure, he said. The pontoon sections will be built of concrete.
Mark Martinez of the Tacoma-Pierce County Building Trades Council said the jobs will be much appreciated by members of the construction trades.
“A hundred and seventy-five jobs doesn’t seem like that many, but with the unemployment rate in the trades running at 20 percent to 25 percent, those jobs are very much needed,” he told port commissioners.
John Gillie: 253-597-8663 john.gillie@thenewstribune.com
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.