A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Washington Jobs Now - SR 4 improvements enhance driver safety and put people back to work
Contractor employees, Matt Smeall and Terry Norton of Pacific Rim Service & Construction Co., install guardrail along SR 4 in southwest Washington. |
Drivers traveling SR 4 may be looking down at fresh pavement and sideways at new guardrails, but for local contractor crews in Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties, the highway improvements have led to things looking up – economically, that is.
For several weeks, crews from Lakeside Industries, Inc. of Longview and Pacific Rim Service & Construction Company, Inc. of Portland, Ore. have been hard at work enhancing motorist safety along SR 4 by paving, upgrading guardrails and cable barriers, and retrofitting bridges with improved railings. These safety improvements are part of WSDOT’s SR 4 - Skamokawa to Coal Creek Road - Paving and Guardrail project, which improves nearly 28 miles of roadway on SR 4. Funds from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided by Wahkiakum County have increased the scope of this project and helped contractor crews get working.
For many of the crew members, this project has put them back to work, and they could not be more thankful. Terry Norton with Pacific Rim has been out of work since last October, and says he is “so happy and thankful” to be called back to work. Ben Hwee, the owner of Pacific Rim, echoes Norton’s appreciation. “I’ve been able to call employees back to work that otherwise wouldn’t have had a job to go to,” says Hwee. Matt Smeall is another one of Hwee’s crew members dependent on income from the project, and says that he was “on the verge of bankruptcy this year, and so lucky to be hired on” for the SR 4 project.
Though the construction has caused some delays along the highway, local residents and businesses have expressed enthusiasm about the overall project. Businesses in the area have seen an influx in customers, as the project crews dine in local restaurants and lodge at local motels. Lorraine Shroeder, a waitress at Duffy’s Irish Pub in the town of Grays River, gushed that the work is “simply gorgeous” and predicts that once the work is complete, “people will be much happier than before, because it’s a smoother ride and much more enjoyable to drive.”
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Maintenance & Operations feature - WSDOT's Emergency Operations Center keeps travelers safe during disasters
WSDOT's Emergency Operations Center at the Transportation Building in Olympia is specially equipped to respond to statewide emergencies. |
WSDOT’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) team springs into action when a disaster or emergency affects the transportation system across multiple regions of the state. The team’s purpose is to provide a coordinated response to the situation and to keep users of the state's transportation system informed of rapidly changing conditions. Over the years, WSDOT's EOC has evolved into a state-of-the-art facility capable of managing widespread emergency conditions.
During the repeated pounding from the 2008-2009 winter storms, WSDOT's Emergency Operations Team worked day and night to ensure public safety and manage the response to one of our most challenging winters on record. Hours and hours of response training and practicing was put to the test by weather systems that brought record snowfall, extreme cold temperatures, and 100 year-record rains. Flooding, landslides, and the threat of avalanches wreaked havoc on travel plans for Washingtonians in every part of the state.
WSDOT’s Web site was the primary information source for road closures and travel information during the snow storms and floods. Drivers, freight haulers and the media repeatedly accessed our site to find out which roads and highways were closed and how long until they reopened. The team's top priority was making sure the most updated information was being communicated from the field into our Emergency Operations Center and posted onto the Web.
WSDOT’s response crews reopened 125 of 138 roads closed due to flooding, landslides, debris and avalanches within 72 hours. They also assisted local jurisdictions with crews and equipment, all while maintaining a high level of communication between statewide WSDOT offices during response, and also through recovery activities in the days and weeks following the incidents.
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Update of projects underway
I-5 Kelso - WSDOT is improving safety and helping to prevent cross-over collisions along I-5 in Cowlitz County by installing nearly 22,000 linear feet of cable median barrier on a two-mile stretch of roadway that currently has no barrier. Crews are installing high-tension cable guardrail in the median of I-5 between the SR 432 junction and the SR 4 junction. High-tension cable barrier has increased tension that keeps the cable stretched tight even after some of the posts are damaged from a collision or catastrophic event. This increases the probability that the barrier will continue to offer protection until repairs can be made. In addition, crews will install guardrail over the Coweeman Bridge to replace temporary concrete barrier at this location. Crews are expected to complete installation by fall 2009.
I-5 Grand Mound - Crews shifted northbound traffic on I-5 south of Olympia to a new alignment on Aug. 21, a sign that the widening project between Grand Mound and Maytown is marching forward. The shift starts south of the Grand Mound interchange and extends about three quarters of a mile. The new northbound I-5 alignment is permanent and features a more gradual curve. Shifting northbound traffic also allows crews to continue work on the new bridges over Prairie Creek. This $61.5 million construction project adds a third lane in each direction on an eight-mile stretch of I-5. The project broke ground in May 2008 and is scheduled to wrap up in summer 2010.
SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge - The SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge received the stability it needs to weather upcoming winter storms when crews completed the last of 20 new east-half anchor connections on Aug. 18. Work to connect the new anchors and anchor cables began after the east half of the bridge was replaced in June. WSDOT used a combination of divers and remotely-operated vehicles to help run the anchor cables from the pontoons through huge u-shaped pipes in the 1,000-ton anchors, and back up to the pontoons to complete the connections. The 3-inch thick steel cables range from approximately a quarter-mile to one mile in length and provide a stronger, more stable connection to the new east-half anchors that were placed at the bottom of Hood Canal in the summer of 2007. WSDOT replaced the Hood Canal Bridge’s east half and east and west trusses June 3, but the project is scheduled to continue through December 2009 as crews complete electrical, hydraulic and mechanical upgrades and make final adjustments.
I-405 Bellevue - WSDOT thanked motorists for their patience after contractors wrapped up a long weekend (Aug. 15 and 16) of placing quieter pavement on I-405 through Bellevue. Typically, WSDOT does this kind of work at night, but because of the type of paving, we needed temperatures to be 65 degrees and warmer. Crews placed nearly 1.5 miles of quieter asphalt pavement in the south Bellevue area. On Saturday morning, crews reduced traffic to one lane on northbound I-405 between 112th Avenue SE and NE Eighth Street and closed several area ramps in the south Bellevue area. Crews reopened all lanes on northbound I-405 at 3:05 a.m. on Aug. 17, including a newly built lane from I-90 to SE Eighth Street. The weekend paving work was a small part of a $124 million project to widen I-405 in both directions through south Bellevue. WSDOT is scheduled to report to the Legislature in January 2010 on the performance of quieter pavement, which will include traffic impacts associated with installing quieter pavement.
SR 532 Stanwood - Crews wrapped work on SR 532 bridge at 84th Avenue in Stanwood and reopened the bridge just in time for the Monday (Aug. 17) morning commute. The bridge deck had been worn through in numerous locations, creating a rough surface for drivers and exposing the bridge structure below. The road surface was very rough, and last winter, maintenance crews had to close lanes to fill potholes. Over the weekend a crew of about 70 construction workers stripped the top of the entire bridge deck, repaired expansion joints, and placed 240 tons of rapid-set latex-modified concrete.
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Announcements
WSDOT auctions off ski cabins and Glacier Creek Lodge structure
The Glacier Creek Lodge was one of the buildings on the auction block as WSDOT makes room for a new SR 542 bridge over Gallup Creek. |
WSDOT auctioned off 14 cabins, one storage shed, one manufactured home and one large lodge standing in the way of a bridge replacement project. WSDOT purchased 3.4 acres of property along SR 542 as part of an $11.7 million project to tear down an older, low clearance bridge over Gallup Creek. Crews will replace the bridge with one that will better withstand the heavy toll flooding takes on this state highway. The 18 structures, sitting on the property had to go before construction could start. About 70 people showed up and 34 registered to bid. All structures must be removed from the property by Sept. 30.
On Aug. 19, WSDOT opened the auction and ticked through the cabins one by one. Two cabins sold for the minimum bid of $5 each, four cabins sold for $10 each, other cabins sold anywhere from $15 to $275. The total bids came to $5,341. WSDOT estimates it would cost more than $110,000 to tear down and haul all of the structures to the landfill. Staff determined that auctioning off the cabins to be reused would make way for the bridge and save taxpayers money. The money made at the auction goes into the state motor vehicle fund which, in turn, can support other WSDOT projects.
Gallup Creek is slowly rising as the streambed fills with debris and rocks. During the rainy season, the bridge that carries SR 542 over the creek is routinely slammed by heavy rocks and the water threatens to flood the highway, flood local property and destroy the bridge entirely. The 2005 legislature approved a plan to replace the bridge with a taller and longer structure able to withstand the pummeling during storm season. To build this new bridge, WSDOT bought the property including the Glacier Creek Lodge and the cabins.
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August meetings, open houses and events
22, Saturday, 1 - 2 p.m., Ribbon-cutting ceremony, US 395 North Spokane Corridor - Spokane: Transportation, state and local officials will hold an event to celebrate progress on the North Spokane Corridor. Following the celebration, the first section of the corridor will be opened to traffic. Location: North Spokane Corridor near the BNSF railroad tunnel in Spokane.
26, Wednesday, 10 a.m., Ribbon-cutting ceremony, SR 704 Cross Base Highway - Spanaway: WSDOT, local and state officials will celebrate the completion for the first segment of the new SR 704 Cross-Base Highway. Project 1 connects Spanaway Loop Road to SR 7, drastically improving safety and mobility. A new dual right-turn lane from Spanaway Loop Road to southbound SR 7 will ease back-ups during peak travel times. Location: The cul-de-sac at the end of 175th Court in Spanaway.
31, Monday, 11:35 a.m. - 1:55 p.m., Public input meeting - Ferry fare proposal, Washington State Transportation Commission - San Juan Islands: Proposed ferry fare adjustments are the focus of a series of pubic input meetings being held by the Washington State Transportation Commission. Comments received will be considered prior to final adoption of the existing or a modified fare proposal, which would go into effect October 11, 2009. The entire fare proposal can be found on the Commission’s Web site at http://wstc.wa.gov/. Location: San Juan Islands, on board the Sealth (inter-island ferry), departs Friday Harbor at 11:35 a.m., Orcas at 12:30 p.m., Shaw at 12:45 p.m., Lopez at 1:05 p.m., and returns to Friday Harbor at 1:55 p.m.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Express Lane Archive
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