The Washington State Department of Transportation is stepping up its efforts to share information about the six-week closure of the Hood Canal Bridge as the May-June project looms closer.

Last month, according to a release from the department, the WSDOT launched a State Route 104 Hood Canal Bridge blog — http://hoodcanalbridge.blogspot.com/— which offers the public an additional opportunity to chime in on everything from getting ready for the closure and the water shuttle plan to the state of traffic on US 101 and construction progress.

“The blog provides people with another viable forum for voicing their ideas and getting their questions answered,” said David Ziegler, principal engineer for the project. “We hope this will help us reach an even broader audience and help residents better prepare for the unique transportation challenge that lies ahead.”

The blog will continue throughout the six-week closure, giving the public a go-to place to share success stories and frustrations. In turn, the ongoing conversation will provide the WSDOT additional insight into the needs of the communities and the ability to adjust the closure transportation system when possible during the six-week period.

To help spread the word, WSDOT is encouraging its community partners on the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas to link their Web sites to the Hood Canal Bridge Project blog.

Travelers, businesses and residents should plan on visiting the blog regularly as informative and interesting project-related topics will be updated weekly, the department’s release states.

The Hood Canal Bridge Retrofit and Replacement Project – which is 89 percent complete – is meant to improve the existing structure, making it wider, safer and more reliable. For more information about the project, and to find out about travel options during the six-week bridge closure, visit www.HoodCanalBridge.com.