A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Washington Jobs Now - Recovery funds create more opportunities for local agencies, citizens in Washougal
Coffman Excavation crew member Kelly Brown works on the SR 14 Pedestrian Tunnel project in Washougal. |
Contractor crews across the state have been hard at work all summer, improving highways and local roads alike. WSDOT’s Local Programs partners with cities, counties and other local organizations to secure funding for projects that develop and improve local communities. One such project is currently under way in the city of Washougal: the SR 14 Pedestrian Tunnel.
In early May, the City of Washougal’s contractor, Coffman Excavation, LLC of Oregon, began construction on a pedestrian tunnel underneath SR 14 to improve safety and connectivity between the newly reconstructed city core and the Columbia River waterfront. WSDOT’s Local Programs Manager Ken Hash partnered with the city to secure funding and provide support for the project. “Any amount of money (small or large) goes a long way in a small town,” said Hash. “It’s projects like these that give a town its unique identity.”
Without funds from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), there was no guarantee this project would have been built. Likewise, several contractor crew members acknowledge that without this project, there was no assurance they would be presently employed. “If this project didn’t exist, I’d probably be somewhere, but I wouldn’t be guaranteed a job or a paycheck,” said crew member and surveyor Kelly Brown. Another crew member, Rick Fox, said he was “laid off last winter and was brought back to work because of this project.”
Project Superintendent Kevin Light expressed enthusiasm about the project because “this project has enabled us to continue working and bring employees back to work.” Additionally, Light was excited to be involved in the construction of a downtown feature that he believes will be an integral part of his town and family history. “I’m so excited about this project because my grandkids will actually be able to see something that their grandfather helped build.”
The SR 14 Pedestrian Tunnel project is a reminder that transportation improvements go so much further than state highways – they can have a lasting effect on the health of communities. While ARRA funds are providing work for many individuals, the funds are also enabling the construction of projects that will endure long after the recession has ended.
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Maintenance & Operations feature - The travelers’ end of summer assignment: Know before you go this Labor Day Weekend
Ferry travelers should allow for extra time as routes are expected to be busy during the holiday weekend. |
For most, the first day of school is a few days off. But doing a bit of homework this week could make your travel on the last few days of summer just a bit more enjoyable. WSDOT offers many ways to know before you go this Labor Day weekend. You can find them on our Web site, http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/, and the 24-hour traveler information line, 5-1-1
WSDOT posted the times and places drivers are likely to see higher-than average summertime traveler delays during the Labor Day weekend on US 2, I-90, I-5 at the Canadian Border and I-5 south of Olympia through Lewis County at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Congestion/LaborDay/2009/. Please remember, traffic incidents or adverse weather can result in traffic congestion outside the hours shown.
Work at most construction project sites around the state will move off the highway from noon Friday until Tuesday morning. Drivers should be prepared for shifted lanes, roadway detours and reduced speed zones in places.
WSDOT's Ferries Division reminds travelers to allow extra time for ferry travel over the upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend. The longest backups are expected to occur Friday afternoon and evening, Sept. 4; Sunday afternoon and evening, Sept. 6; and Monday morning, Sept. 7. Waits and advance arrival recommendations vary by route. Travelers needing specific information can check the Web site at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/.
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Update of projects under way
SR 6 Curtis - WSDOT and its contractor, Scarsella Bros., Inc., invite the public to celebrate completion of a wider, safer bridge on SR 6 in western Lewis County on Tuesday, September 8 (see events schedule below for time and location). The SR 6, South Fork Chehalis River Bridge project replaced the existing 22-foot-wide bridge, which was built in 1925, with a wider, safer bridge built to current earthquake standards. The new 40-foot-wide bridge will carry two 12-foot lanes with 8-foot shoulders and was constructed on a new alignment 20 feet to the north, flattening the curve at the east end of the bridge. The bridge will be fully open by Friday, September 11.
I-82 Selah - Following bridge repairs, crews reopened the westbound lanes on I-82 between Selah and Yakima on Sept. 2. WSDOT and the contractor shifted traffic off I-82 to make repairs to the Naches River Bridge after the bridge was hit by a crane three years ago. On Thursday, Sept. 3 WSDOT re-opened southbound SR 823 into Yakima, and drivers will again be able to drive south on SR 823 to N. 1st street. Crews worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including nights, to make sure traffic would be back to normal in time for Labor Day weekend.
US 101 Shelton - Crews completed replacement of the US 101 Purdy Creek Bridge near Shelton. The old 1931 timber-trestle bridge was prone to frequent flooding and was replaced with a new bridge featuring wider lanes and shoulders than its predecessor. The new Purdy Creek Bridge is 12.5 feet higher and more than three times as long as the old bridge, allowing flood waters to pass beneath the span – keeping the highway open and traffic moving. Quigg Brothers, Inc. of Aberdeen was the contractor on this project. Crews broke ground in July 2008 and completed the project on time and under budget. The $9.5 million construction project was paid for with federal bridge replacement and state gas tax funds.
SR 169 Maple Valley - Crews wrapped up work on SR 169 between Witte Road and SE 264th Street on August 28. Crews began work in May to repair 1.6 miles of deteriorated roadway and repave the highway with new asphalt. The new roadway surface will help increase driver safety by reducing the risk of hydroplaning in wet weather, and increasing skid resistance. The $2 million project supported an estimated 15 jobs.
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Announcements
US 97 Beebe Bridge at Chelan Falls may be closed for weeks
The US 97 Columbia River Bridge at Beebe was severely damaged as a result of a truck collision. |
The US 97 Columbia River Bridge at Beebe could remain closed to vehicles and pedestrians for several more weeks between Chelan and Douglas Counties at Chelan Falls following a fatal semi-truck collision Monday, Aug. 31. The collision severely damaged steel trusses and beams that support the bridge.
A portion of the bridge deck is noticeably sagging at the location where the truck damaged the bridge rail and steel trusses. No heavy equipment or vehicles can be allowed on the bridge deck for the initial stabilization work due to the extent of the damage. This weight restriction means that WSDOT bridge crews from Wenatchee, Yakima and Olympia must do the stabilization by hand. That work is expected to take three to four days. Once stabilization is complete, bridge engineers will use a lift truck to examine overhead trusses and beams, complete a repair plan, determine a budget and timetable, and order or fabricate parts to repair the bridge.
Pedestrian access to the bridge may be possible after Labor Day, once crews stabilize the bridge. Vehicle access won’t be allowed until permanent repairs are complete, which could take from several days to weeks. The US 97 “Columbia River Bridge at Beebe” averages nearly 5,000 vehicles per day. During the closure, traffic is detoured onto US 97A through Chelan and along the west side of the Columbia River to Wenatchee.
Two recent studies confirm that Puget Sound commute times continue to improve
The recently published 2009 National Scorecard Mid-Year Update by INRIX Corporation finds that congestion and travel times nationally have “bottomed out” in the first half of 2009. Based on gas prices and economic trends, INRIX predicts that congestion is at the lowest possible levels and increasing. However, the report finds that peak period congestion levels in the Seattle, Tacoma, and Bellevue areas have further decreased (by 8 percent) compared to the first half of 2008.
INRIX’s findings that congestion is decreasing for the Seattle, Tacoma, and Bellevue are consistent with WSDOT’s congestion report on Puget Sound travel times published in its most recent quarterly report, the June 30, 2009 Gray Notebook.
High fuel prices and the economic recession have contributed to the improvement in travel times, as well as WSDOT’s congestion relief projects. For example, the Tukwila to Bellevue trip showed sustained year-over-year average travel time savings of 12 minutes during the morning commute. Data suggest that a contributing factor to this improvement was the completion of an auxiliary lane near the I-90 interchange that opened in January 2009. The trip time improvement has been largely sustained for the nearly six months following that lane opening.
WSDOT is currently delivering the largest capital construction program in Washington’s history, including hundreds of safety and congestion relief projects funded by the 2003 and 2005 gas tax, worth $13.4 billion. As of June 30, WSDOT has completed 194 of 391 projects, and by September 30, 2009, 284 of the 391 projects (73 percent) will either be completed or under construction.
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September open houses, meetings and events
8, Tuesday, 11 a.m. - noon, Ribbon cutting, S. Fork Chehalis Bridge - Doty, Lewis County: WSDOT will host a ribbon-cutting event to celebrate completion of a new, wider bridge on SR 6. The new SR 6 South Fork Chehalis River Bridge is 14-feet wider than the old structure built in 1925, and will allow large vehicles approaching in opposite directions to safely cross the bridge at the same time. Location: SR 6 at the new bridge, near Doty.
8, Tuesday, 1 - 5 p.m., Public hearing, Ferry fare proposal, Washington State Transportation Commission - Seattle: The State Transportation Commission will hold a public hearing to receive comments on proposed ferry fare adjustments that would go into effect October 11, 2009. The Commission is expected to vote to either adopt or modify the proposal following public input at the public hearing. The entire fare proposal can be found on the Commission’s Web site at http://wstc.wa.gov/. Location: Puget Sound Regional Council, 1011 Western Avenue, Suite 500, Seattle.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Express Lane Archive
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