The concrete pontoons being floated to Vancouver Island are former supports of the Hood Canal Bridge which links the greater Puget Sound area with the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. It is the longest floating bridge over a saltwater tidal basin in the world.

The Hood Canal Bridge first opened to the public in 1961. Following a severe storm in 1979, the west half of the bridge had to be rebuilt. The bridge was eventually reopened to traffic in 1982. Although, the floating concrete pontoons are in excellent condition, the road and columns of the east side of the Hood Canal Bridge are now nearing the end of their structural service life and consequently are being replaced.

Permanent floating bridges like the Hood Canal Bridge are useful for water-crossings where it is not considered economically feasible to suspend a bridge from anchored piers. There are only 11 permanent floating bridges in the world, with four of them in the Puget Sound region, and one in Kelowna, BC, the W.R. Bennett Bridge (the Okanagan Lake floating bridge).

For more information on the Hood Canal Bridge visit: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr104hoodcanalbridgeeast/