Project of the Week - Bridge Building in Tacoma a Huge Visual Distraction
The I-5 Tacoma "S-curves" that were created for safety during bridge demolition will be straightened by the end of July, when crews shift traffic back to the normal configuration. |
Crews on July 9 begin setting girders for two new bridges over I-5 in downtown Tacoma. The work is part of the I-5 widening project stretching from the Tacoma Dome to the Tacoma Mall. A 300-ton hydraulic crane will provide the muscle to place the 24 girders that range in length from 109 feet to 159 feet, and weigh as much as 70 tons.
Erecting the first 16 steel-tub girders (eight each on the Yakima Avenue and Delin Street bridges) requires routing traffic around a temporary support column and night-time closures of two southbound lanes and the ramp from downtown Tacoma to southbound I-5. Before setting the final eight girders, northbound and southbound traffic will shift back to regular lanes at the end of July – which means no more of the Tacoma S-curves that were implemented for bridge-demolition work over the past several months. Shifting traffic back to the original configuration will occur over two weekends and require rolling slowdowns and lane closures.
Paving the new bridges likely won’t start until October. The bridges are scheduled to open to traffic in March 2008.
top
Incident of the Week - A whole ladder of trouble
A ladder in the left lane of southbound I-5 near Carpenter Road in Lacey caused vehicles to stop, swerve, and a semi to jack-knife and crash on June 20. A pick-up truck, small motor home, and an additional semi were also involved. The ladder went untouched.
WSDOT Incident Response Team (IRT) Lead Technicians Kathy Vatter and Willie Ramsey responded to the incident at 10:35 a.m. The collisions blocked the left lane of traffic.
IRT crews cleaned up debris and put absorbent on a minor spill prior to the arrival of a local tow truck company. The tow truck was then able to pull the semi out of it’s jack-knife position and onto the roadway. The collision was cleared by noon. Traffic was backed up approximately eight miles southbound, and two to three miles northbound from observers. The Washington State Patrol and medic crews also assisted WSDOT.
top
Update of Projects Under Way
US 2 - WSDOT crews filled a small sinkhole on US 2 just east of Index on June 21. Crews had closed the westbound lane earlier in the morning after discovering the sinkhole on the highway within the project limits of an on-going slide repair. The sinkhole was found in the same location as another sinkhole found on April 22. This sinkhole was substantially smaller at two feet wide and two feet deep. Crews excavated the ground around the hole and discovered that water was still seeping into the ground under the road, causing the earth to settle. Crews removed saturated soil and any other unsuitable material and replaced it with gravel. They then compacted the gravel and paved over the hole.
SR 7 Spanaway - Work began June 18 on a $3.9 million project to improve 11 miles of SR 7, known locally as the Mountain Highway, between the Eatonville Cutoff Road in Kapowsin and the junction with SR 507 in Spanaway. Work includes paving, guardrail upgrades, and installation of centerline rumble strips and permanent signing. Work is scheduled for completion in September 2007.
SR 16 Tacoma Narrows Bridge - Crews working for Tacoma Narrows Constructors (TNC) this week began a two-week process of removing the two construction tower cranes sitting on top of the new bridge’s east and west towers. With new bridge construction nearing completion, the tower cranes are no longer necessary for delivering supplies and equipment to crews. In addition to removing the tower cranes, crews will also continue roadway construction on both sides of the bridge.
SR 543 Blaine - Paving is under way on the new northbound lanes for the Pacific Highway (SR 543) truck crossing at the U.S. Canada border. Crews are using concrete and asphalt for the surface so these lanes last a long time under constant traffic and heavy truckloads. The crews have nearly finished pouring concrete for two half-mile lanes.
top
Announcements
WSDOT Outlines Path Forward to Open New SR 520 Bridge to Drivers by 2018
This week, WSDOT outlined a path forward for the SR 520 Project that responds to public comments, advances design and engineering, and completes the environmental process. The plan to move the project forward was presented at the SR 520 Executive Committee meeting at the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle on June 26. WSDOT will share the same plan with the public at open houses in Bellevue and Seattle.
WSDOT will also participate in a mediation process along with the University of Washington, Seattle neighborhoods, and other interest groups. The outcome will be a project impact plan for the west side corridor by the end of 2008. As required by ESSB 6690, a finance plan will also be prepared and submitted to the Legislature and Governor in January 2008.
The project issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement last fall, followed by a public comment period. WSDOT is responding to questions by working with Eastside jurisdictions on mitigation and design plans, continuing planning for construction effects along the entire corridor, and advancing engineering for the floating bridge. The project team will produce a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement with additional analysis on issues of most concern to the public.
Bridging Futures: Young Artists Honored for Depiction of Future I-90 Project to Increase Safety and Protect Wildlife
WSDOT and I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition selected two winners from students around the state who participated in the third annual Bridging Futures Contest. WSDOT announced a design for the I-90 Snoqualmie Past East Project that includes two wildlife overpasses and numerous underpasses. The Bridging Futures III Contest encouraged children in Washington State to submit ideas for how the wildlife bridges might look.
I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition and WSDOT co-sponsored the art and essay contest. The two finalists were honored on June 21 by WSDOT Secretary of Transportation Doug MacDonald and Coalition Director Charlie Raines at the Hope for a Wild Future auction at the Woodland Park Zoo. Students ages six to 11 participated from schools and organizations in Seattle, Tacoma, Bothell, Ellensburg and Wenatchee. The winners’ art is displayed on billboards in Seattle and Ellensburg, sharing the message of safety with motorists across the state.
The two winning student artists are:
Sandra Brown 10, fourth grader, Jefferson Elementary, Tacoma
Brenda Medina, 10, fourth grader, Mission View Elementary, Wenatchee
WSDOT Completes First Regional Mobility Grant Project - City of West Richland Celebrates Park and Ride Lot Expansion
City of West Richland officials will hold a project dedication ceremony on June 26 at 11 a.m. to celebrate the completion of the West Richland Transit Center and Park and Ride facility expansion. This is the first project to be completed under WSDOT's Regional Mobility Grant program funded by the Legislature in 2005. The state’s Regional Mobility Grant Program is designed to improve the coordination of transit services and to increase the use of transit to reduce congestion.
The demand at the original Park and Ride location exceeded the available space and the $134,000 Regional Mobility grant will expand it from 24 parking spaces to 134 total parking spaces to meet increasing demand. Local funds were provided by the City of West Richland and Ben Franklin Transit. The Park and Ride lot is served by Ben Franklin Transit which runs the 4th largest vanpool program in the Northwest. In addition to the heavy vanpool activity, the Park and Ride lot supports commuter bus service.
top
Gray Notebook Highlights - Trucks, Goods and Freight Annual Update
In January 2007, WSDOT conducted a survey to understand how the state transportation system is working for companies that rely heavily on shipping and/or receiving goods via truck, rail, sea or air. A total of 450 randomly selected businesses were surveyed. Manufacturers and agricultural companies were asked to estimate what percentage of the cost of goods sold (COGS) constituted their transportation and total logistical costs. An increase in the percent of COGS (represented by total logistics and transportation costs) indicates rising costs and lower performance of the freight system. For all segments, the industry average total logistics costs as a percentage of COGS increased from 2004 to 2007. The most significant increase in transportation costs appears to have been for manufacturers in Spokane (100%). Details on this topic and other key issues can be found in the March 2007 Gray Notebook: www.wsdot.wa.gov/accountability.
top
July Upcoming Event
6- Friday, 10 a.m., Groundbreaking Event, SR 304 Bremerton Tunnel - Bremerton: Federal, state and city officials invite the community to join in an event to celebrate the start of construction for the SR 304 Bremerton Tunnel project. Location: Old Les Schwab Tires building, 628 Burwell Street, Bremerton.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Weekly Report Archive
top