Motorists cross the eastern Eighth Street bridge Saturday, where a community block party will be held Wednesday. The program will begin at 5:30 p.m. Live bluegrass music will be played from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Rob Ollikainen/Peninsula Daily News)

Motorists cross the eastern Eighth Street bridge Saturday, where a community block party will be held Wednesday. The program will begin at 5:30 p.m. Live bluegrass music will be played from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Rob Ollikainen/Peninsula Daily News)

Celebration planned for suicide barriers on Port Angeles bridges

PORT ANGELES — A community block party is planned on the Eighth Street bridges Wednesday evening.

Billed as a “thank you” concert for the people of Port Angeles, the Concert on the Bridges will highlight the recently completed safety fencing on both sides of the 100-foot-tall spans.

The concert will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday. The Seattle bluegrass band “The Weavils” will play dance music.

West Eighth Street will be closed to traffic from Cherry Street to Pine Street from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday.

The city Fire Department will have trucks at each end of the eastern bridge in a show of support, event co-organizer and Port Angeles City Council member Cherie Kidd said.

Backed by the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce and the city, the Concert on the Bridges will be the last performance in the 2018 Concert on the Pier series.

It was organized to thank city residents for “coming together to make the new safe fences a reality,” Kidd said in a news release.

“Many people spoke out and contributed and made this happen for the safety of our community,” Kidd said.

Kidd and Chamber Director Marc Abshire will emcee the program beginning at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The 8th Street Bridge’s Grill will stay open late for hungry concert attendees, Kidd said.

Eighth Street had been closed to eastbound traffic at the bridges since the work began in July. The bridges re-opened to two-way traffic Friday.

The city project to raise safety fencing was a response to recent suicides from the twin spans over Valley Street and the Tumwater Truck Route.

Eight people jumped to their deaths since the bridges were replaced and reopened in 2009 with 4-foot, 6-inch railings. Four of those deaths occurred since June 2017.

The new fencing is 8-feet, 8-inches above the sidewalk at its lowest points and 10-feet, 7-inches at its tallest points. A curved top was added to the design to represent the Olympic Mountains.

“I’m delighted that the council chose an attractive pattern,” Kidd said at the Sept. 4 City Council meeting.

“They’re going to look really good.”

The protective screening was designed by Olympia-based Sargent Engineers with input from the council and the public.

Interwest Construction of Sequim completed the $770,700 project last week and the bridges reopened on Friday.

The city received more than $124,000 in community donations to help pay for the safety improvement.

“We’re going to have a community block party just basically to thank everyone,” Kidd told the council this month.

“Everyone had a part in this, and so it’s going to be a historic night for all of us to participate.”

Kidd lobbied the state Legislature to help pay for the protective screening.

State Rep. Mike Chapman, D-Port Angeles, secured a $350,000 budget proviso for the Eighth Street project in an effort backed by fellow Rep. Steve Tharinger, D-Sequim, and state Sen. Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim.

The city project was eligible for state funding because Tumwater Truck Route is a state highway.

The original Eighth Street bridges had 4-foot, 2-inch railings until 1959, when 7-foot, 8-inch railings were installed.

“Everyone feels safer, and will feel safer, because the bridges historically have had high safety fencing,” Kidd told the council.

In a Wednesday announcement, Kidd encouraged the public to “Come walk, ride your bike and dance on the bridges and enjoy the concert.”

“Port Angeles can be proud of our effort to keep our community safe,” she said.

________

Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@ peninsuladailynews.com.

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