Another Tacoma bridge is closing for a long stretch of this summer

Q: What's going on with the Murray Morgan Bridge closure this summer? — people who drive over the Murray Morgan Bridge

A: Ah, summer in the Pacific Northwest. Who doesn't love its combination of long stretches of daylight and predictably dry weather? It sure does create opportune conditions for construction projects.

You probably know where I'm going with this. I feel bad even typing it, but there's another traffic-related closure this summer that might affect you. It's the second Tacoma bridge closure near the downtown core that we've written about in the last few months, though this one won't last nearly as long as the nine-month closure of the bridge over the Puyallup River.

Starting July 9, the Murray Morgan Bridge will be closed to all traffic, including pedestrians, until Aug. 17 (though it will reopen July 26-29 for the Tacoma Maritime Fest). The bridge can still be raised for ship traffic during this time by contacting the bridge tender as normal, and the standard two-hour time line for raising the bridge should still be in effect.

Also, the pedestrian elevator between 11th Street and Dock Street still will be operational during the work.

Then, starting Aug. 20 until the end of September, only one lane of traffic will be open on the bridge. Automatic flaggers will be used to direct traffic alternately in each direction (automatic flaggers are timed and unmanned). During that time, pedestrians will be able to cross the bridge in both directions.

The reason for the closure is a Tacoma Power project. The utility is upgrading its power lines attached to the bridge, apparently to support economic development in the downtown area and to support waterway revitalization along Dock Street.

"Tacoma Power will begin a project on the 11th Street (Murray Morgan) Bridge to bring two new power distribution circuits over the bridge superstructure from our East F Substation into the downtown Tacoma underground electrical grid," the utility said in a news release.

"The rapid expansion of downtown Tacoma and the resulting increase in electric load and demand has dictated the need for this work. In addition to increasing capacity, the new circuits will also allow us more options in terms of backing up existing circuits and creating switching plans to create faster and more effective coverage in the event of outages."

The $1.4 million project has been planned for two years, the utility said. Because of the need for a full closure of the bridge and to mitigate any resulting delays in emergency response, Tacoma Power is funding a fourth firefighter at Tacoma Fire's F Street Station (Station 6), "which ensures that the East F Station can respond to emergencies without waiting for required back up from another fire station outside the Port."

This story was originally published June 30, 2018 at 5:00 PM.