Puget Island bridge work expected to start next week

Preservation work on the State Route 409 Puget Island Bridge seems to be getting underway with workers scoping out the bridge this week.

A contractor for the Washington State Department of Transportation next week will begin installing structures for repainting the bridge.

According to an April 9 WSDOT announcement, until further notice, traffic on both directions of the bridge, will alternate on work days through a single-lane starting next Monday, with temporary flaggers controlling the flow.

During construction, overnight bridge closures will be needed while crews remove the worn asphalt and aged timber decking to install a new deck. WSDOT is working with local emergency services to ensure emergency access on and off the island during closures of the bridge.

Meanwhile, efforts to relocate an osprey nest off the bridge's metal frame seem to have succeeded, with travelers siting one or two birds in the nest on its new support since the end of last week.