more than 3,800 tons (3,400 tonnes) and the western approach span weighs more than 1,000 tons (907 tonnes) 1979 sinking The Hood Canal Bridge suffered catastrophic failure in 1979 during the February 13 windstorm. During the night, the bridge had withstood sustained winds of up to and gusts estimated at , and finally succumbed at about 7:30 a.m. on February 13. The western drawspan and the pontoons of the western half had broken loose and sunk, despite the drawspan being opened to relieve lateral pressure. At the time of the failure, the bridge had been closed to highway traffic and the tower crew had evacuated; no casualties resulted. Evidence points to blown-open hatches allowing flooding of the pontoons as the cause of the sinking. West-half reconstruction and 1982 re-opening Efforts to repair the bridge began immediately and Washington Secretary of Transportation William A. Bulley secured a commitment of federal emergency relief money for the project. On June 15, 1979, actual work began with the removal of the west truss and transport for storage. The state's department of transportation attempted to mitigate the impact of the disaster by redirecting traffic to US Highway 101 to drive around the length of Hood Canal and by reestablishing the state ferry run between Lofall and South Point across the canal just south of the bridge. This route had been discontinued after the 1961 bridge opening and the state needed to reacquire access to and restore operational conditions on both landings. During the course of the closure an additional ferry route was temporarily added between Edmonds and Port Townsend until February 1980, when it was replaced with additional Lofall–South Point runs. The Hood Canal Bridge re-opened to vehicular traffic on October 24, 1982. The temporary ferries, which had carried 3,100 vehicles per day, were retired within several days. The west portion replacement had been designed and constructed in less than three years using $100 million in federal emergency bridge replacement funds at a total cost of $143 million (equivalent to $ today). The bridge reopened as a toll bridge, but a court ruled in August 1985 that the insurance settlement constituted repayment of the construction bonds, and since federal funds were used in reconstructing the bridge, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) could not charge tolls after the bonds were retired. WSDOT was ordered to stop collecting tolls on August 29. East-half replacement In