Lower Elwha Klallam tribal elders say in many ways, they wish the graving yard project would never have come to Port Angeles.
“It will create many jobs that are needed,” Smith said. “But so much is being lost.”
The state Department of Transportation hired Poulsbo-based Kiewitt-General Construction Co. to complete the $271 million Hood Canal Bridge replacement and widening project.
The work includes building the graving yard, a huge onshore dry dock in which pontoons and concrete anchors for the new east half of the floating bridge will be built.
The bridge’s eastern half was originally scheduled to be replaced in the spring of 2006, but will now be floated in and connected in May 2007 due to the discovery of artifacts and remains at the graving yard site.
When completed, the graving yard will essentially be flooded with seawater, so the pontoons can be floated to Hood Canal.
“Once they start dredging and letting the water in, our village is gone forever,” tribal elder Beatrice Charles said. “That is hard to accept.”