One end of Hood Canal Bridge is unlighted

The in basket: Gil Berg lives at Bridgehaven, just south of Shine in Jefferson County and looks out at the Hood Canal Bridge. He asks why the entire bridge has street lights except for the last quarter mile before its Jefferson County end.
The out basket: Becky Logan, spokesman for the project to replace half the bridge, has this to say.
“Firstly, there are no laws which require lights on any bridges in Washington state.  According to the Design Manual on Illumination, “illumination is provided along highways, in parking lots, and at other facilities to enhance the visual perception of conditions or features that require additional motorist, cyclist, or pedestrian alertness during the hours of darkness.”
“Because of the barrier gates on the bridge, bridge lights are needed so motorists can see when the gates open and close,” she said. 
 “The first light on the east half of the bridge is 620 feet from the east truss,” meaning the steel structure that stretches from shore to the pontoons.  On the west half the first light is approximately 1,700 feet from the west truss.  The difference is because the west half of the bridge is longer than the east half, she said.  Therefore, the barrier gates are closer to the east truss, which is why the lights appear to begin sooner.” 
Chris Keegan, the Olympic Region bridge expert for the state, added that they don’t usually put lights on rural bridges.
“If you are driving in the dark and come across some lights, you have trouble seeing when you go back into the dark,” he said.
He said that the need for the bridge span operator to see cars approaching the barricades is another reason that this rural bridge has some lights.