Travel around Washington’s Olympic Peninsula will become significantly more difficult this fall as emergency repairs force repeated closures of the U.S. Route 101 Hoh River Bridge south of Forks.
The 95-year-old bridge has developed cracks in a support beam and in steel members beneath the roadway, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. Those components help support the bridge and reduce the load on the aging structure.
Beginning Tuesday, September 15, crews will close the bridge overnight from 10:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. each night through September 22. The closures will allow workers to install scaffolding, a work deck and a containment system needed to safely perform repairs.
Much longer closures will follow. The bridge will shut down completely for three stretches:
- From 5 a.m. September 24 to 5 p.m. September 29
- From 5 a.m. October 1 to noon October 6
- And from 5 a.m. October 8 to noon October 13.
WSDOT says the bridge is too narrow to maintain a travel lane while crews work. Construction will include removing portions of the existing bridge and replacing them with new components. Each extended closure will be followed by an inspection before the bridge returns to single-lane, alternating traffic.
The shutdowns will break the U.S. 101 loop around the Olympic Peninsula, forcing travelers to make lengthy detours. Visitors traveling between Forks, the Hoh Rainforest, Rialto Beach and La Push to the north and Ruby Beach, Kalaloch and the Quinault Rainforest to the south should expect hours-long alternate routes.
Traffic has already been limited to one lane across the bridge, with a 25 mph speed limit. WSDOT says the structure can be repaired and crews will work to complete the emergency repairs as quickly as possible.
