A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Washington Jobs Now - Stimulating central Washington’s working environment
NW Granite workers for the I-82 dowel-bar retrofit project are the focus of a Yakima Herald Republic newspaper photographer. Crew members were at the job site near Sunnyside. |
“Jobs” are welcome news to about 24 newly hired employees at Granite NW Inc., the company that was awarded a highway construction contract for work on I-82 in Yakima County.
The I-82 Grandview to Granger westbound concrete rehabilitation project is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The $7.2 million dollar project, designed to make the highway smoother, safer, and last longer, supports an estimated 70 jobs, ranging from on-site construction to trucking to related work at equipment and supply companies.
Leo Soria, Granite NW’s night shift foreman, said that it is great to be working on this project after a long lay-off. He said many people in his line of work are still not working after being laid-off eight months ago. Soria, who lives in Yakima, said road construction usually requires a lot of travel to where the work is. "It’s nice to be working in Sunnyside because it’s close enough that I can go home every night," said Soria. He also noted that he is getting married in five weeks and the job is helping to pay for the wedding.
Don Whitehouse, WSDOT Regional Administrator, said that the federal funds made it possible to rehabilitate this pavement at the right time. "The longer we wait for funding, the more the road deteriorates and the more it costs to fix it," said Whitehouse. This project was originally estimated to cost more, but bids across the state are coming in, on average, 17 percent lower than the original engineer's estimates. "The cost savings may make it possible to fund the rehabilitation needed on the eastbound lanes on I-82 in this location," added Whitehouse.
top
Maintenance & Operations Feature - North Cascades Slide puts maintenance crews to task
Crews worked from both sides of this slide on SR 20 North Cascades Highway to clear mud and debris, 10-feet deep in places. |
Seasoned travelers of the SR 20 North Cascades Highway know that the journey across the pass can at times be somewhat unpredictable, especially during winter's avalanche season. However, they might not expect slides to close the highway during the hottest days of the summer.
But that's what happened on July 29. While record-setting temperatures were being broken in the western half of the state, a mud slide west of Rainy Pass closed SR 20 in both directions. The area, nearly one-mile high, had been pummeled with fast moving thunder, lightning, rain and hail storms all week long.
The slide was reported about 4 p.m., Wednesday, and WSDOT Maintenance crews began bringing in equipment, working into the night. They stopped at dusk because it was too dangerous to work in the slide area in the dark. The gates were closed on the west side just east of Diablo (milepost 134) and 14 miles west Mazama (milepost 171) on the east side. WSDOT crews manned the gates overnight to make sure anyone camping or hiking in between the gates could get out.
Crews were back on the task early Thursday morning. They had about 300 yards of mud and debris in a 10-foot-deep swath across the highway to remove, and needed to ensure the slope is stable before they reopened the road. They finished up the clearing work and had traffic moving across the pass again late Thursday afternoon.
top
Update of projects under way
I-5 Marysville - Crews working for WSDOT kicked off a project to replace 10 miles of cable median barrier with concrete barrier along northbound I-5 in Marysville. In the coming weeks crews will conduct survey and signage work along northbound I-5 from SR 528 to the Stillaguamish River. Both the pre-construction and estimated construction costs came in below the amount originally allocated by the 2008 legislature, totaling a savings of nearly $12 million. WSDOT awarded the construction contract to Tri-State Construction, in April 2009. The total amount budgeted for the project is now $18.9 million, including $2.5 million in federal ARRA funding that will be used for traffic cameras, overhead message signs, and traffic data detectors along I-5 in Marysville. It will take crews approximately two months to complete survey, signage, fencing and shoulder work along the 10 miles of I-5 included in the project limits. Crews expect to start work on the median barrier system in mid-September or early October of this year.
SR 16 Port Orchard - A project that eliminates the last at-grade intersection on SR 16 reached a major milestone as traffic shifted to new bridges that will carry vehicles over Burley Olalla Road. Motorists began using the new westbound bridge on July 25 and the new eastbound bridge on July 29. With the shift to the new bridges, the speed limit through the project area increases to 60 mph. Moving traffic onto the new bridges allows crews to finish the Burley Olalla Road on- and off-ramps. The ramps were partially constructed in fall 2008. Since then, the ramps have been used as a SR 16 detour route. Until the new ramps open, there is no access to and from Burley Olalla Road at SR 16 except for emergency vehicles. WSDOT awarded the $16.3 million construction contract to Ceccanti, Inc. of Tacoma in June 2008. Work started in August 2008 with a planned construction duration of two years. WSDOT engineers and Ceccanti, Inc., worked together to rearrange the order of work, shaving nearly a year off the schedule. Overall, construction is 75 percent complete. The project is on track to be complete this fall.
US 101 Aberdeen - A $728,000 "fish passage" project to replace a culvert on US 101 near the SR 107 intersection in Grays Harbor starts Monday, Aug. 3. WSDOT identified the culvert near Mosquito Creek as a fish barrier, meaning the culvert prevents migratory fish from reaching upstream habitat. Crews will replace this culvert with a three-sided concrete box that measures 137 feet long, 10 feet high and 16 feet wide. During construction, the contractor, Roglins, Inc. of Aberdeen, will construct a temporary roadway detour. Flagger-controlled, one-way, alternating traffic remains in effect while the temporary roadway is being constructed.
top
Announcements
Carpools, buses, solo drivers saving time in HOT lane
More than 30,000 solo drivers paid an average toll of $1 to escape heavy traffic on State Route 167 and drive in the high-occupancy toll (HOT) lane during the pilot project’s first year. The SR 167 HOT Lanes Pilot Project’s first Annual Performance Summary indicates that more and more people are finding value in this unique option to leave congestion in the rearview mirror.
“The data is in, and the results are clear – HOT lanes are working,” said Paula Hammond, Washington Transportation Secretary. “More people are getting through rush hour on SR 167 in less time than they were a year ago.”
This four-year pilot project studies how variably-priced, electronic tolling can ease traffic congestion on SR 167 between Auburn and Renton. It began May 3, 2008, when solo drivers with a Good To Go! transponder were offered the choice to pay for a faster trip in the carpool lane when extra space was available.
Despite an opening year that saw skyrocketing gas prices, economic recession and unprecedented snowstorms, solo drivers increasingly chose to pay for a faster trip in the HOT lane. The number of solo drivers using the HOT lane increased nearly every month since opening.
WSDOT Ferries Division bids farewell to Steel Electric ferries
The Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division (WSF) will bid farewell to the 1927-built Steel Electric Class ferries. Two of the four vessels will begin their journey to their final destination the week of August 3. In June WSF sold the vessels to Eco Planet Recycling, Inc. The Nisqually and the Quinault will be removed from their tie-up locations on Bainbridge Island and towed to Ensenada, Mexico, where they will be recycled. It is estimated that the last two vessels will be towed away approximately one to two weeks after the first two.
In November 2007, Secretary of Transportation Paula Hammond ordered the Quinault, Illahee, Nisqually and Klickitat removed from service due to safety concerns. In 2008, the Washington state Legislature directed WSDOT to sell the vessels. WSF had been in discussion with potential buyers up until their sale last month.
WSDOT, Lacey work in tandem to bridge bike-lane gap
The nation’s most bicycle-friendly state adds to its friendly reputation with a state/city-funded project which started the week of July 27 on Martin Way in Lacey. The three-month project connects a quarter-mile gap in Lacey’s bike-lane network and extends the left-turn lanes for vehicles at the congested I-5/Martin Way interchange. WSDOT awarded Bellevue-based Tri-State Construction, Inc. the $1.16 million construction contract. The City of Lacey contributed funding for this project.
While there are bike lanes along Martin Way, a gap exists in the system between the northbound and southbound I-5 ramps. This gap forces bicyclists to ride on the sidewalk or in the lanes. The extended left-hand turn lanes will improve traffic flow at the busy interchange on Martin Way and at the I-5 on- and off-ramps.
top
August open houses, meetings and events
6, Thursday, 5 - 8 p.m., Open house, West Olympia access study - Olympia: Team members for the West Olympia Access study will conduct an open house to share project information on two potential interchange modifications on Olympia's west side. Staff will be available to talk with citizens and would like to hear their comments on the proposed options. No formal presentations will be given. The study is a partnering effort by the City of Olympia and WSDOT. Location: Thurston Regional Planning Council, 2424 Heritage Court, Conference Room A, Olympia.
11, Tuesday, 10 - noon, Project kick-off, I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East - Snoqualmie Pass: WSDOT is holding an event to kick off the first of three I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East construction contracts between Hyak and Keechelus Dam. This construction contract, which lays the groundwork for future I-90 construction, includes building a long-term detour bridge near Gold Creek and excavating materials from Keechelus Lake. Location: Gold Creek Bridge, I-90 Snoqualmie Pass.
14, Friday, 10 - 11 a.m., Groundbreaking ceremony, I-5 Port of Tacoma Road Interchange to King County Line - HOV Lanes - Fife: WSDOT and state and local officials will celebrate the start of construction to add HOV lanes in each direction of I-5 between the Port of Tacoma Road and the King County line. The project uses more than $35 million in federal stimulus funds and will support and estimated 130 jobs. Location: King County Auction site off of I-5, exit 137 (Fife curves) in Fife.
Express Lane Archive
top