Date:  Thursday, January 29, 2009

Contact: Robyn Boyd, Project Engineer, (425) 225-8754, cell (425) 471-3386
Patty Michaud, WSDOT Communications, (425) 225-8760 (Everett), cell (206) 369-2632
Dave Chesson, WSDOT Communications, (360) 757-5970 (Burlington)

STANWOOD –The Washington State Department of Transportation has selected Parsons/Kuney, Joint Venture as the design-builder to improve safety on State Route 532 near Stanwood. As part of the $82 million project, crews will build truck climbing lanes along the corridor and replace the 60-year-old General Mark Clark Bridge, the sole connection between Camano Island and the mainland.

"We know the investment in this project will help make SR 532, a vital link between Camano Island and I-5, safer and more reliable,” said Paula Hammond, Washington Transportation Secretary. “With the major growth in the area, the community has outgrown the SR 532 corridor.”

Between 2000 and 2007, Stanwood’s population grew by more than 32 percent. The surge in population has increased traffic congestion and congestion related collisions on SR 532. On the narrow, two-lane General Mark Clark Bridge, collisions can cause traffic to snarl and make emergency vehicle access difficult. The resulting traffic jams also temporarily sever the connection between Camano Island and the mainland.

Selecting a design-builder
Parsons/Kuney earned the contract by submitting the best value proposal of the four short-listed bidders. WSDOT determined the best value using a formula that combines bid price and design requirements. Special consideration was given to the contractor’s approach to environmental protection, delivering a quality product and maintaining roadway safety during construction.

The Parsons/Kuney team brings a long history of helping WSDOT successfully deliver complex projects on time and within budget.

Parsons Corporation, based in California with local offices in Seattle, will prepare the design portion of the project. They have engineered more than 10,000 miles of roads in 40 countries including WSDOT’s I-405 corridor program and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

Max J. Kuney Construction, based out of Spokane, WA will construct the SR 532 improvements. They have more than 75 years experience working with WSDOT, including the state’s first design-build project at the SR 500/Thurston Way Interchange.

“We look forward to joining forces with Parsons/Kuney to build a safer SR 532”, said Robyn Boyd, SR 532 Project Engineer. “With the team’s combined knowledge and expertise, we’ll hit the ground running.”

Getting a jump start on construction
Parsons/Kuney will start work on design in early March after receiving the final approval from WSDOT to move forward. The team will seamlessly move into construction this summer and can start some work, such as building bridge footings, before finishing the entire design. A design-build approach enables crews to start construction early giving the project a jump start to save time.

SR 532 crews expect to start construction in July and plan to have all lanes open to traffic by mid-2011. The project work includes:

• replacing the General Mark W. Clark Memorial bridge. 
• improving intersections between Camano Island and I-5, including new left- and right-turn lanes. 
• constructing a westbound truck-climbing lane between 12th Avenue NW and 28th Avenue NW.
• constructing an eastbound truck-climbing lane between Pioneer Highway and 72nd Avenue NW.
• repaving the section of road between 270th Street NW and 72nd Avenue NW.
• building highway storm water run-off treatment facilities.

For more information about the SR 532 corridor improvements, visit. www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr532/

For more information about the design-build method, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/delivery/designbuild/

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