A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Washington Jobs Now - The first stimulus project in Snohomish County gets under way on US 2
WSDOT, local officials and highway construction workers celebrated the start of construction on US 2 between Monroe and Sultan. The event was held at Lakeside Industries in Monroe on June 16. |
WSDOT staff, local officials and Lakeside Industries crews on June 16 celebrated the start of construction on the first of Snohomish County’s state and local highway projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). This $2.1 million preservation project will support an estimated 20 jobs.
Crews will grind off the top layer of pavement and repave about five miles of US 2 from Monroe to Sultan. They will also make safety improvements by installing centerline and shoulder rumble strips, and re-striping road markings. Recent harsh weather conditions have caused the pavement to rapidly deteriorate. The stimulus funding will allow us to repave the highway now, ending costly temporary repairs and providing drivers with a smoother and safer ride. Crews completed initial pavement repair the first week of June and will begin grinding and repaving work in July.
“We are elated to be a part of the stimulus package here in Washington state,” said Gail Land, Monroe division manager for Lakeside Industries. “This project ensures that we can keep our longtime employees, and also hire several new workers.”
top
Maintenance & Operations feature - Safety Rest Areas
The Toutle River Rest Area on I-5 in Cowlitz County provides a place for travelers to rest and refresh before continuing on their journey. |
With schools out for the summer, many families will be hitting the road to vacation destinations all across the state.
Washington's 47 Safety Rest Areas will help make that journey more pleasant and safer for many. WSDOT's rest areas average 20 million visitors annually.
The primary purpose of WSDOT's Safety Rest Areas is to increase highway safety by providing a place for fatigued drivers to pull off the roadway and rest. In 2008, there were 1,104 collisions in Washington due to fatigued driving. WSDOT recently examined the before-and-after effectiveness of three rest areas in reducing collisions. These include Iron Goat on US 2, Dusty-Mader on SR 26, and Price Creek on I-90. We compared the number of collisions attributed to fatigue within 30 miles of each rest area for at least 24 months before and 24 months after they opened. Our preliminary analysis indicates that fatigue-related crashes declined between two and 42 percent after the rest areas opened. (More details on this can be found in the March 31, 2009 edition of the
Gray Notebook.)
Twenty-six of Washington's Safety Rest Areas offer travelers a unique welcome service called the "
Free Coffee Program". This program allows non-profit organizations to provide travelers with coffee and light refreshments at no charge. Although the service is free to the traveling public, participating organizations are allowed to accept donations. Most of WSDOT's Safety Rest Areas also provide picnic areas, vending machines and pet exercise areas. Services like these help Washington's highway travelers stay rested and refreshed.
top
Update of projects under way
I-5 Marysville - WSDOT will replace 10 miles of cable median barrier with concrete barrier along northbound I-5 in Marysville. The project, partially funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will improve safety by further reducing the risk of crossover collisions on this busy stretch of I-5. The 2008 legislature originally allocated $26.9 million for this project, but in February 2009 WSDOT received an additional $2.5 million in ARRA funding to improve freeway operations and traveler information. This funding will allow for the installation of traffic cameras, overhead message signs, and traffic data detectors along I-5 in Marysville. WSDOT estimates that this project will support approximately 100 jobs. Tri-State Construction crews expect to start work in August 2009. Their winning bid of $13.3 million was nearly 15 percent below WSDOT’s construction estimate.
New median barriers at the ends of the SR 16 Tacoma Narrows Bridge will reduce the chance of cross-over collisions. |
SR 16 Tacoma Narrows Bridge - Crews completed installation of SR 16 median barriers on the Tacoma and Gig Harbor ends of the two Tacoma Narrows bridges on June 16. Installation of the barriers is one of the final work items of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge project. Since the second bridge opened two years ago, safety and travel times have improved significantly. These new barriers reduce the likelihood that vehicles approaching the bridge will cross into oncoming traffic, while still allowing a U-turn route for emergency vehicles. The barriers, installed for about $199,000, can be moved to divert traffic from one bridge to another in the event of a major blocking collision or bridge closure.
SR 103 Long Beach - WSDOT’s contractor completed paving work early and reopen SR 103 in Long Beach nearly two days ahead of schedule. WSDOT opened SR 103 between 15th Street SE and 13th Street NE on June 17. This section of highway had been closed since June 15 for paving and replacement of signal loops and pavement markings. This work was part of a stimulus-funded project to preserve
US 101 and SR 103 between the Fort Columbia vicinity and Long Beach vicinity. The project began construction on May 15 and is scheduled for completion in late August.
I-205 Vancouver - Drivers will encounter a series of weekend-long right lane closures on northbound I-205 and ramp closures at Mill Plain Boulevard starting June 19. The closures allow WSDOT’s contractor to safely pave portions of the new ramps and shoulders on the
I-205, Mill Plain Exit – 112th Connector project. Work will wrap up by 5 a.m. each Monday to avoid impacting the weekday commute. The $26 million 112th Connector project builds a new bridge to provide drivers exiting northbound I-205 with direct access to NE 112th Avenue without having to navigate through traffic at Mill Plain Boulevard. This partnership project between WSDOT and the City of Vancouver began construction in June 2008. The project is under budget and remains on-schedule for completion by the end of the year.
top
Announcements
New Olympia on-line traffic cameras go live
WSDOT turned on several new traffic cameras in the Olympia area this week, providing Thurston County drivers with new tools to plan their commutes. Four of the new cameras are on I-5 at Custer Way, Eastside Street, Sleater-Kinney Road and Martin Way. The other three cameras are located on surface streets at the intersections of Union Avenue and Plum Street, Martin Way and Sleater-Kinney, and Martin Way and College Street. The new cameras are available on WSDOT’s Olympia area traffic flow map: www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/olympia/.
top
June open houses, meetings and events
23, Tuesday, 4 - 7 p.m., open house and hearing, SR 502 Widening project - Vancouver: WSDOT will host an open house and public hearing for the SR 502 Widening from I-5 to Battle Ground project. The project's draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) has been released and a 45-day comment period began on June 5 and continues through July 20. The open house provides an opportunity for people to ask questions about the project and the DEIS. Court reporters will be available to take testimony. Location: WSDOT Southwest Region Office, 11018 NE 51st Circle, Vancouver.
23, Tuesday, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., open house, Columbia River Crossing project - Portland: Project staff will hold an open house to present construction updates and tolling information for the Columbia River Crossing project. Location: Jantzen Beach SuperCenter, Community Room, 1405 Jantzen Beach Center, Portland, OR.
24, Wednesday, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., open house, Columbia River Crossing project - Vancouver: Project staff will hold an open house to present construction updates and tolling information for the Columbia River Crossing project. Location: Red Lion Hotel at the Quay, River Rooms, 100 Columbia Street, Vancouver.
24, Wednesday, 7 - 9 p.m., open house, US 2 Safety Improvement project - Sultan: The design team for the US 2 Safety Improvement project will host an open house for residents and property owners on Fern Bluff Road and Sultan-Startup Road. Location: Sultan Middle School, 301 High Avenue, Sultan.
25, Thursday, 5 - 8 p.m., open house, US 395 - North Spokane Corridor - Spokane: Project staff will hold an open house to update the community on current construction, upcoming projects, first sections to open to traffic and future section designs for the North Spokane Corridor. Location: Northwood Middle School, 13120 N. Pittsburg, Spokane.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Express Lane Archive
top