The City of Tacoma will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Weds., June 20 at 9 a.m. to mark the official re-opening of the Hylebos Bridge.

The double-leaf bascule bridge that spans the Hylebos Waterway on East 11th Street has been out of service since 2001, when a drive shaft on the northeast bascule leaf failed, rendering the bridge inoperable. In order to allow ship navigation to continue on the Hylebos Waterway, cables were used to hold the two bascule leaves in the open position. The leaves remained in the open position since then.

A subsequent fire in 2004 inside the northeast bascule pier caused additional damage to the bridge, including its mechanical and electrical control systems.

A bridge inspection conducted in August 2005 noted that the existing bridge approaches, support structure, fender system and electrical system were in poor condition and needed to be replaced, in addition to the repairs required for the bascule span and drive system.

In 2009, a $15.3 million contract was awarded to Quigg Bros, Inc. to repair the bridge and restore service. The project was funded by the City of Tacoma, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Port of Tacoma.

In March, Tacoma City Council awarded a three-year, $546,000 contract to Orion Marine Contractors of Tacoma to operate and maintain the bridge. The project was completed earlier this year and the bridge re-opened to traffic on May 21.

More information about the Hylebos Bridge project is online here.