Patrick J. Sullivan has this story in the Port Townsend Leader:
It didn’t take long for the Hood Canal Bridge to go from zero to 16,000.
The floating span closed since May 1 reopened to traffic at 10:19 p.m. June 3 and within 24 hours was carrying a full load of daily traffic – about 16,000 vehicle trips.
And it was quickly used by people rarely before seen on the 1.5-mile crossing: joggers.
“It’s user-friendly for everybody,” Washington State Patrol Sgt. Ken Przygocki said of the bridge that now has 8-foot shoulders on each side.
It is legal for pedestrians and joggers to cross the bridge; before the improvements, it was too narrow and dangerous. Bicycles have a straight shot – because the old east half “bulge” is gone – and covered areas to cross on the grated transition-span decks.
Motorcycles no longer have to ride close to the rail when crossing the grated decks, and drivers of large trucks or RVs worried about wind gusts can still hug the center line, as the wider shoulders give oncoming vehicles more room to maneuver. The new width allows room for a vehicle with engine trouble to pull off to the side, Przygocki noted.
