To me, life can be a lot like building a new bridge.

Here’s why: When looking at the complete picture, the tasks ahead can seem daunting. But when taking on things one piece on at a time, life’s projects become doable.

I was in awe watching the second Tacoma Narrows Bridge go up, and now, those of us in Bremerton get a front row seat to the $57.8 million project to build a new Manette Bridge.

If you’ve taken the rickety 80-year-old bridge recently, you know it’s, well, aged. But Washington State Department of Transportation officials say it’s worse than might you think. Using a 100-point scale for “structural sufficiency” (100 being a brand new bridge) they say that bridges with a score of 80 or less demand corrective action. Ones 50 or less are eligible for federal funding.

And the Manette Bridge scored a whopping 16.8.

So we’re getting a new bridge. I’ll be shooting videos, showcasing the construction by contractor Manson and Mowat, until they get ‘er done in early 2012.

What you’re seeing in this first video is the installation of giant steel tubes that will be soon be filled with concrete and form the bridge’s piers. Here’s more from Ed Friedrich’s report:

“… They’re working on steel pilings to support the platform, said Jeff Cook, project engineer for the state Department of Transportation. After the platform is built, a drilling rig will be placed on it. The rig will set a permanent casing — a 12-foot-diameter steel tube — down to the hardpan beneath the Port Washington Narrows. Soil will be augered out of the tube, then a rebar carriage will be placed inside and concrete poured for the shaft. Then it’s on to the next pier. There are two shafts for each pier and eight piers overall.”