Capital Facilities - Projects & progress
Performance analysis
2023
WSDOT completes major regional projects
WSDOT substantially froze most minor projects for the 2021-2023 biennium, shifting those funds to ensure the full completion of the Northwest Region — Dayton Avenue and Olympic Region headquarters projects. WSDOT delivered the following capital facilities projects during the 2021-2023 biennium:
- Northwest Region Dayton Avenue headquarters - renovation completion - $2,920,946
- Northwest Region Traffic Management Center - uninterruptible power supply replacement - $180,190
- Northwest Region Corson Avenue Building 1 - canopy roof replacement - $75,516
- Olympic Region Maintenance and Administration Facility - final project completion items - $60,417
- Olympic Region Port Angeles Area Maintenance Facility - security upgrade - $21,200
- Olympic Region Mullenix Area Maintenance Facility - security upgrades - $9,839
- North Central Region Hart Road Radio Site - security fence - $17,301
Lease consolidations reduce footprint and costs for WSDOT
The post-COVID workplace has left substantial office space underutilized as staff work from home. Efforts are underway across the state to vacate, consolidate, or backfill space where possible.
WSDOT's Capital Facilities undertook substantial leased-space consolidation in the 2021-2023 biennium, moving multiple programs and staff from the Goldsmith building in Seattle's Pioneer Square area to Washington State Ferries Headquarters building in Seattle's Belltown area. Seventy WSDOT staff were relocated, which reduced their leased footprint by 60% from 23,291 square feet to 9,153 square feet. Vacating the Goldsmith building resulted in lease cost avoidance of nearly $1.5 million per biennium.
Energy Sustainability efforts set to expand
WSDOT is planning to implement several sustainability initiatives to improve energy efficiency in larger buildings and meet state and local greenhouse gas emission reduction requirements. The Washington State Clean Building Performance Standard and the Seattle Building Emissions Performance Standard set targets for energy use in large buildings and require the development and implementation of building-specific energy management plans. WSDOT currently has 18 buildings over 20,000 square feet that will be subject to these standards with phased compliance beginning in 2027.
WSDOT is working to reduce the deferred maintenance backlog for four of the largest buildings identified under these standards and is developing and implementing new building-specific Energy Management Plans as funding becomes available.
Energy Management Plans will include:
- Occupant information and training programs,
- Deployment of various energy efficiency and conservation measures,
- Operating and maintenance plans, and
- Capital expenditure plans.
Performance against these plans must be tracked and verified annually and reported for compliance every five years.
2021
Construction substantially complete on new Olympic Region headquarters
Construction of the new 26-acre Olympic Region headquarters facility is substantially complete and includes:
- 35,000 square foot administration building,
- 65,000 square foot building housing shops, vehicle maintenance and materials testing, and
- 11,000 square foot storage building.
Staff relocated to the new facility in June 2021 and were working from the site minimally under the appropriate COVID-19 restrictions. The addition of a large solar system that would provide approximately two-thirds of necessary power to the site is being negotiated. Construction is anticipated to be complete by March 2022. Additional funding for the fueling facility was received and design is currently under way. Construction of the fueling facility is scheduled to start in the Spring 2022 and be completed by July 2022.
Funding for the radio tower construction was received and the construction was anticipated to start in October 2021, but the sub-contractor declined to meet the state's COVID-19 vaccination requirements. The prime contractor is seeking replacement sub-contractors.
WSDOT freezes minor projects for 2021-2023, delivers 2019-2021 projects
WSDOT has frozen all minor projects for the 2021-2023 biennium, shifting those funds to ensure the full completion of the Dayton Avenue and Olympic Region headquarters projects. WSDOT delivered the following capital facilities projects during the 2019-2021 biennium:
- Tumwater Materials Lab Building - Roof Replacement, $1,553,700
- White Pass Domestic Waterline Replacement - $633,400
- Spokane Street Section Maintenance Facility Building 1 - Roof Replacement, $601,100
- Lakeview Area Maintenance Facility Building 1 - Lift Rehabilitation, $38,600
- Spokane Street Section Maintenance Facility Building 1 - Window Security, $35,300
- Lakeview Area Maintenance Facility - Security Upgrades, $20,500
- Oakesdale Section Maintenance Facility Building 1 - Asbestos Floor Replacement, $7,700
- Spokane Street Section Maintenance Facility Building 1 - Roof Safety Improvements, $7,200
- Kent Area Maintenance Facility Building 1 - HVAC Inspection, $2,800
Facilities staff take measures to protect WSDOT employees
Facilities staff are making workplaces safer for WSDOT employees whenever possible. Arc flashes at electrical panels pose a threat to the health and safety of maintenance staff, but determining the true potential for an arc flash is an expensive process that requires individual analysis at each facility. Until that analysis can be completed, electrical panels that pose an arc flash threat are being labeled to remind staff to use appropriate personal protective equipment and safety protocols when applicable. WSDOT's Southwest Region, headquartered in Vancouver, labeled panels that could pose a threat.
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, WSDOT made improvements to increase the safety of its facilities and reduce virus transmission wherever feasible, including heating, ventilation and air conditioning adjustments, filter replacements, physical barriers, and increased cleaning. For example, WSDOT's Southwest Region replaced all faucets and flushers in their Safety Rest Areas with touchless versions for roughly $50,000. This reduced the maintenance backlog and increased the safety of the facilities for the traveling public. These same replacements will also occur in all of the buildings in WSDOT's Southwest Region in the next few years.
2019
WSDOT completes asset management plan for capital facilities
In October 2019, WSDOT completed a capital facilities Asset Management Plan that establishes and communicates the agency's process for managing its capital facility assets. This plan is used to communicate program needs and shortfalls, as well as to inform investment strategies. Future editions of this plan will outline capital facilities lifecycle planning and tradeoff analysis.
WSDOT identifies capital facilities funding gap of $61 million
In fiscal years 2019-2029, WSDOT plans for an average biennial budget of approximately $57 million for capital facility asset management. The estimated funding needed to bring the agency's capital facilities assets to a state of good repair is an average of $118 million per biennium over the next 10 years. The resulting funding gap is approximately $61 million per biennium. WSDOT has developed a backlog reduction plan that includes:
- A prioritized list of specific facility deficiencies and capital projects to address the deficiencies;
- Cost estimates for each project;
- A schedule for completing projects over a reasonable period of time; and
- Identification of normal maintenance activities to reduce future backlogs.
However, this backlog reduction plan has not been funded.
Two major capital facilities projects underway in 2019
WSDOT has several capital facilities projects planned for the 2019-2021 biennium as of September 30, 2019.
Construction has begun on the new $58.5 million WSDOT Olympic Region Headquarters. Located on Marvin Road in Lacey, the project will replace the current regional headquarters building (built in 1938) and is on schedule for completion in spring 2021.
The new 20-acre complex will house over 300 staff in a multi-story administrative office building (totaling approximately 40,000 square feet) and in light industrial buildings (totaling approximately 90,000 square feet).
WSDOT is designing the $46.5 million Northwest Region headquarters renovation to create a modern work environment. The project will renovate all six floors, consolidate WSDOT's footprint, allowing it to lease office space to the Department of Ecology in a mutually beneficial arrangement. Located on Dayton Avenue in Shoreline, this project is on schedule and due to be completed in June 2021.
WSDOT is planning to spend $4.52 million in the 2019-2021 biennium to support ongoing preservation and repair projects, including:
- Spokane Street Section Maintenance Facility - Roof Replacement, $60,000;
- Tumwater Materials Laboratory - Roof Replacement, $1.7 million;
- Lakeview Area Maintenance Facility Building - Lift Replacement, $32,000;
- Grouse Creek Section Maintenance Facility - Water Line Replacement, $54,000;
- Bullfrog Area Maintenance Facility - Well Replacement, $52,000
2017
WSDOT makes progress on two new regional headquarters buildings
WSDOT is in the construction phase of a new North Central Region administration building on Euclid Avenue in Wenatchee. The project's Design-Build contract was awarded in October 2016 and the project is on schedule for completion in spring 2018.
WSDOT is developing a design-build contract for the new Olympic Region headquarters to be located on Marvin Road in Lacey. The project is scheduled for completion in summer 2021.
WSDOT slates $4.34 million for minor projects in the biennium
WSDOT allocated $4.34 million in the 2017-2019 biennium to support ongoing preservation and repairs projects. WSDOT began work in summer 2017 on a $12.5 million energy conservation upgrade project that will reduce energy use in more than 60% of its buildings, utilizing an Energy Savings Performance Contract. Energy and water savings are projected to be nearly $1 million each year once the project is complete in summer 2018.
The project is funded by a combination of grants ($350,000), utility rebates and incentives ($1.1 million), and a loan financed through the Office of the State Treasurer ($11 million). Budget savings from reduced utility costs will be redirected from utilities to pay back the loan.
This project will help WSDOT save energy and improve facilities, including lighting fixtures, plumbing components, mechanical systems and address some minor building modifications, with no up-front capital costs. Statewide building energy improvements are expected to have significant environmental and economic benefits. LED fixtures last for many years, while existing fluorescent fixtures may only last months. Having to change bulbs less often means maintenance staff will be able to reallocate hours to more critical tasks.
WSDOT expects 69% of total project savings to come from more efficient lighting, 24% from improved building heating and cooling, and 7% from reduced water usage. The project is also expected to avoid more than 10 million pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions annually.