In a computer game, you have an accident, you hit the reset button and you're ready to go. Bridge supervisor Rick Rodda said the panels could have been wired as one but the department wanted the tenders to focus on one bridge at a time. Separate panels also make troubleshooting much easier should problems come up. DeCaro called Gardner's long waits coincidental. Boats, not preferential treatment for northbound traffic, dictates which span opens first.
Tenders alway open the bridge opposite the approaching vessel first.
That way, if something goes wrong and one bridge won't open, the boat won't be stuck waiting under the other open bridge, which would translate into miles of backed-up auto traffic. DeCaro said he has no way to predict when or from which direction the boats will approach. The rate is based on the cubic feet a vehicle takes up, not length. Blame the Washington State Ferries tariff group, which recommends the rates. Taller passenger cars and trucks happen to be, by and large, longer than average.