Project of the Week - Hood Canal Bridge Gets New Anchors
Water is pumped into one of the 20 new bowl-shaped anchors that will secure the SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge, seen in the distance. The anchors will submerge from 80 to 340 feet to the bottom of the Hood Canal. |
Anchor setting operations began in early May for the
SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge East-Half Replacement and West-Half Retrofit Project. On May 17, the seventh of 10 newly constructed anchors was submerged at Hood Canal and placed on the ocean floor. A 250-foot by 72-foot derrick barge (DB) - a working barge with a crane - places each anchor one at a time with careful precision at the bottom of Hood Canal.
The DB Pacific is outfitted with a special truss fabricated just for this project to increase the load capacity of its crane. The crane normally holds up to 165 tons, but with the truss the barge can hold up to 2,000 tons. While the weight of each the anchors is about 1,000 tons on land, their weight in the water is much less. To place the anchors, a tug boat towed one anchor at a time from mooring at Port Gamble Bay to the bridge site. The DB Pacific then connected to the anchor and moved it to its correct location in the Canal. Four metal clamps, which go through the anchor walls, hold the anchor during the controlled descent. Water is pumped into the bowl-shaped anchor, and it slowly submerges in the water. As the anchors are placed, a global positioning system monitors the placement of the anchor in the Canal so they sit at the right location at the bottom. When the anchor reaches the bottom of the Canal, the clamps are monitored with a camera to carefully detach from the anchor. After the anchors are set at the bottom, 17,000 tons of crushed rock will be placed inside the anchors.
Meanwhile, the second cycle of 10 anchors is being constructed at Todd Shipyards in Seattle. By September, all 20 new anchors will be placed at the bottom of Hood Canal and connected to the new east-half of the bridge during the May-June 2009 closure. The construction and placement of these anchors, which are heavier and larger than the current east-half anchors, brings the project one step closer to completion.
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Incident of the Week - Corn Syrup Spill Causes a Sticky Situation on US 97 in Toppenish
WSDOT Maintenance removes spilled corn syrup from US 97 by sweeping up the absorbent "Floor Dry," sand, and water. |
At about 8:30 a.m. on Friday, May 11, a pick up truck hauling a container of corn syrup turned left too quickly and tipped the container over, out of the truck and onto US 97 in Toppenish where it broke open and spilled. Two hundred gallons of the sticky liquid was covering the northbound left-turn lane of US 97 at the intersection with Fort Road. The southbound lanes were splashed with the sweetener, and traffic spread the liquid down the southbound lanes a few hundred feet.
A Yakama Tribal Police officer and a Washington State Patrol trooper called for help. Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) maintenance worker Ryan Miller arrived at the scene at 8:50 a.m. He closed the southbound lanes and the northbound left-turn lane of US 97. Fellow WSDOT maintenance crew members covered the spill with an absorbent material (Floor Dry) to soak up the spill. The southbound lanes were opened at 9:20 a.m., but the northbound left-turn lane needed an extra dose of Floor Dry, sand, and water before the spill was cleared. No collisions were reported, and all lanes were open and back to normal at 1:35 p.m.
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Update of Projects Under Way
US 2 Snohomish - Crews began work May 14 on a $10.8 million project to repair the underside of the Ebey Island Viaduct and Ebey Slough Bridge on westbound US 2. On May 15, crews closed the off-ramp from westbound US 2 to 20th Street SE to set up equipment and prepare for work. The ramp will remain closed through October so crews can access the work zone. This summer, workers will repair 136 40 foot-long girders between SR 204 and 50th Avenue NE. Crews will chip away cracked concrete and remove corrosion from the steel frame. They will then re-seal the bridge against the elements by pouring new concrete and applying a carbon fiber mesh over the exposed steel.
SR 3 Silverdale - Crews will set girders at the SR 303 Waaga Way bridge over SR 3 overnight on May 21. The work is part of a project that improves traffic flow by directly connecting SR 3 and SR 303. The new interchange, along with the widening of Kitsap Mall Blvd/Clear Creek Road, will move more vehicles through the new SR 3/SR 303 interchange and lessen backups on adjacent local roads. Drivers on SR 3 will detour around the girder-setting work. Construction on the $16.7 million project is expected to be complete in September 2007.
SR 20 Anacortes - Starting May 21, crews will install a new traffic signal and turn lanes at the SR 20 Thompson Road intersection to help improve safety for drivers turning on and off the highway. Crews will also repave sections of highway between SR 20 Spur and Memorial Highway (SR 536) to smooth the road surface and extend the life of the highway. The work is expected to take a little more than two months to complete and cost $2.2 million. With nice weather, crews hope to finish by the end of July. This is one of six safety projects on SR 20 from south Oak Harbor to east of Sedro-Woolley this summer.
SR 28 Quincy - Crews began work May 14 on a project to pave nine miles of SR 28 from Crescent Bar to Quincy. Project work includes replacing signs, adding rumble strips, and new guardrail. During construction, traffic will be restricted to a single lane, and motorist can expect delays. On Monday, May 21, the Quincy Rest Area will be closed while crews repair pavement damage in the parking areas. The project is expected to be finished by mid-July.
I-405 Bellevue - Governor Gregoire, WSDOT, and Atkinson Construction broke ground May 16 on one of the largest WSDOT construction contracts in 2007. The work will widen I-405 in South Bellevue from 112th Street SE to SE 8th Street. Crews will get to work adding improvements to the ramps at NE 112th Ave SE and Coal Creek Parkway and will begin building the new northbound lane from 112th Ave SE to I-90. Drivers will be able to use the new northbound lane on I-405 between 112th and I-90 as soon as summer 2008.
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Announcement
WSDOT Purchases Eastern Washington Rail Line
The future of rail transportation in Eastern Washington was improved by the execution of a purchase and sale agreement between the state of Washington and Watco Companies, Inc. (Watco). WSDOT recently closed on the purchase of 110 miles of rail line and other properties and rights from Watco, a Kansas based rail holding company.
Governor Chris Gregoire helped move the process forward when she signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Watco Companies, Inc. for the purchase of the CW line of the Palouse River Coulee City (PCC) Railroad in February. The purchase of the CW Branch of the Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad (PCC) is part of a nearly six-year effort to preserve the PCC, which is important to Eastern Washington’s agricultural industry. The state will pay $9.0 million for all track and right of way on the CW Branch, which runs from Coulee City to Cheney and Spokane, and certain real property on the PV Hooper and P & L Branch not previously purchased. The state will also receive the operating rights on all three branches. Transfer of the property will take place on June 1, 2007. Watco will continue operating the PCC until May 31. It will continue to operate the PV Hooper Branch after May 31 under the terms of its existing lease with the state.
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Gray Notebook Highlight - Biennial Maintenance Targets
WSDOT's Maintenance Accountability Process (MAP) targets and measures the performance of 33 separate highway maintenance activities. MAP includes activities such as snow and ice control, bridge painting, and maintaining ditches and culverts, just to name a few. Targets are set each year, once an appropriation is approved. During 2006, 30 of 33 MAP targets were met, a 91 percent achievement rate. The three activities which did not meet targets were traffic signal operations, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), and highway lighting systems. (ITS is comprised of a variety of electronic devices including ramp meters, variable message signs, and highway advisory radio.) More details on this topic and other key issues can be found in the December 2006 edition of the Gray Notebook at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/accountability.
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Upcoming Open Houses, Meetings, and Events
22 - Tuesday, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m., Public Meeting, Tacoma Narrows Bridge Tolls - Gig Harbor: The Washington State Transportation Commission is holding a meeting to take public comments on a proposed rule for tolling on the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Location: Gig Harbor Civic Center, Community Rooms A & B, 3510 Grandview Street, Gig Harbor.
22 - Tuesday, 5 - 7 p.m., Open House, SR 704 Cross-Base Highway Project - Spanaway: WSDOT project staff are hosting an open house to give members of the community an opportunity to learn about the project and ask questions. Location: Camas Prairie Elementary School, Multi-purpose Room, 320 East 176th Street, Spanaway.
22 - Tuesday, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Ferry Advisory Committee Meeting - Bainbridge Island: The Central Sound Ferry Advisory Committee will hold their quarterly meeting. Meetings are open to the public. Location: Bainbridge Commons, 402 Brien Drive, Bainbridge Island.
23 - Wednesday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Washington State Transportation Commission Meeting - Olympia: The Washington State Transportation Commission, an independent state agency, will hold its monthly meeting. The Commission exercises responsibilities in preparing the state's transportation plan, proposing the state's transportation investment plan, and formulating transportation policy. Meetings are open to the public. Location: Transportation Building, Commission Board Room, 310 Maple Park Avenue SE, Olympia.
23 - Wednesday, 6 - 8 p.m., Ferry Advisory Committee Meeting - Port Townsend: The North Sound Ferry Advisory Committee will hold their quarterly meeting. Meetings are open to the public. Location: Fort Worden Company B, 200 Battery Way, Port Townsend.
23 - Wednesday, 6 p.m., Access Hearing - I-5, NE 134th St. Salmon Creek Interchange Project - Vancouver: WSDOT project team members will hold a public access hearing. This is a formal process allowing property owners to provide comments about access issues and changes resulting from the project. Location: WSDOT Southwest Region Office, 11018 NE 51st Circle, Vancouver.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Weekly Report Archive
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