Snow Blind

Make sure to pay attention to the signs when you're out there driving in winter conditions!  ;-)

The first snow of what is anticipated to be a wet winter has hit the area.  The Leader posted some winter driving tips for your information.

Hood Canal Bridge Open to Traffic

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) re-opened the Hood Canal Bridge to traffic late in the evening of June 3, 2009, eight days ahead of schedule. The Bridge had been closed since May 1 for major repairs. WSDOT issued a press release regarding the re-opening.

The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader has a story with quotes from some of the first drivers to cross the new, improved Bridge.

For more information on the project and access to photographs, visit hoodcanalbridge.com.

Hood Canal Bridge Closed - Where Can I Get Info?

On May 1, 2009, at 12:01 AM, the Hood Canal Bridge was closed to traffic for an estimated six weeks.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is managing the project and has a project website at HoodCanalBridge.com. The site includes links to a travel options page, an interactive transit map, a printable travel options map, the schedule and reservation protocol for the special Edmonds-Port Townsend twilight ferry, and a Bridge closure blog for the public.

You can also get updated traffic information on the project traffic webpage and sign up for email traffic alerts about situations as they develop on alternate routes such as US 101 and SR 3.

Visit the project Flickr page for pictures of the construction work, including the removal of old Bridge sections.

For local information related to the closure and travel options, visit JeffConnections.com and see the "Discover Your Own Backyard" closure survival guide published by The Leader newspaper. Jefferson Transit also has a printable two-page pamphlet concerning the closure.

Intersection Status:

The intersection of Paradise Bay Road and SR 104 just west of the Bridge will be in operation during the closure. However, SR 104 will be closed 1.2 miles west of the Bridge, between Scenic View Lane and Garten Road, so that WSDOT can install a new culvert. The preferred route for detoured traffic will be SR 19 to Oak Bay Road to Paradise Bay Road. Local traffic may choose others routes, keeping in mind that SR 104 will be closed at that location (milepost 12.7).

JeffConnections - new local site

"JeffConnections" (jeffconnections.com) is a new local Web site with the monniker:

Port Townsend and Jefferson County's source for transportation and event news.

The focus of the site currently is the upcoming six-week Hood Canal Bridge closure beginning May 1, 2009.

The site features bridge closure news updates, links to a wide variety of local transporation and community information sources, transit and ride share information, a discussion forum, transportation-related blogs, and photos and video.

Users may sign up for an RSS feed, e-newsletters, or to be a "JeffConnections blogger." The site will offer various options for those who desire real-time news updates of road and transit conditions during the Bridge closure.

The site is managed principally by the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader. Information on the site is coordinated through a local Hood Canal Bridge closure steering committee.

The site may continue after the Bridge closure as a clearinghouse for transport information.