Project of the Week - Crews Finish Clearing Snow from Mt. Baker Highway
Crews finish clearing the upper parking lot that marks the east end of Mount Baker Highway (SR 542), more than 5,000 feet above sea level. |
Artist Point opens Saturday after crews finish clearing the upper parking lot that marks the east end of Mount Baker Highway, more than 5,000 feet above sea level. You’ll be able to drive to the top view point, but don’t count on clear trails. Snow 10 feet deep still surrounds the upper parking lot. In fact, crews say the only trail is the one beaten to the restrooms, still buried in snow. The U.S. Forest Service reports trail conditions on its Web site. Driving conditions should be good. The road is bare and wet from the surrounding snow.
When crews started clearing the 2.5 miles of highway July 2, snow was 20 feet deep in the parking lot. Warm weather in July melted the snow, helping crews make quick progress. The section of highway closes every year after the first significant snowfall, usually in October, and usually reopens in July.
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Incident of the Week - Maintenance Crew Helps Clear Accident Scene in Rural Area
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On July 21, just after 3 a.m., WSDOT's Yakima Traffic Management Center called on Maintenance team members, stationed at WSDOT's Othello facility, to respond to a fatality collision on SR 17 that was blocking the highway.
This was a head-on collision involving a truck-trailer and car. Both vehicles burned on impact, blocking both lanes of SR 17. The Othello crew had a detour route established at 4 a.m. They then moved a loader and pickup broom on site to assist with cleanup. The wrecker service was also on scene prior to Washington State Patrol (WSP) completing their investigation. WSP completed their investigation at approximately 7 a.m. The wrecker service began with removing the car, truck trailer and then the truck. DOT used the loader to move the debris from the road into the truck trailer.
Maintenance Supervisor Kirk Poldervart made the decision not to have the Fire Department wash the road surface due to potential contamination of irrigation water and wet areas on both sides of the road. Instead, the crew used the pickup broom to clean the road of debris and oil absorbent. Both lanes of travel were reopened at 8:30 a.m.
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Update of Projects Underway
I-5 Chehalis - Crews are constructing a new interchange at LaBree Road and widening I-5 for a new lane in each direction between Rush Road and 13th Street. This project will improve traffic flow and roadway capacity by widening four miles of I-5.
I-5 Everett – WSDOT opened a new lane on July 26 for motorists traveling northbound I-5 in Everett. The right-most lane begins at 41st Street and ends at US 2. It is designed to help relieve the back-ups caused by merging vehicles exiting at US 2 and Pacific Avenue and entering I-5 at 41st Street. All that weaving will now happen in the new lane, adjacent to the mainline traffic heading north toward Marysville. The new lane is part of a $263 million I-5 Everett HOV expansion project. The project is scheduled to end in June 2008.
SR 16 Tacoma Narrows - Weather permitting, Tacoma Narrows Constructors (TNC) crews will carry out an aggressive schedule of paving work on the 1950 Tacoma Narrows Bridge deck July 27 - 31. TNC will institute multiple lane closures on westbound State Route 16 across the old bridge for grinding and paving work. During the lane closures, crews will grind and repave sections of the bridge deck. They hope to repeat the process on the north side of the old bridge the weekend of August 4 if weather permits.
SR 20 Deception Pass - On July 23, crews began safety improvement work along SR 20 between Meadow Creek and South Lake Campbell Road east of Deception Pass (near the Shrimp Shack) to reduce collisions. As part of this work, WSDOT will close an intersection with poor sight distance, widen lanes, and add turn lanes.
I-405 Kirkland – On Saturday and Sunday, July 28 - 29, only three lanes of northbound I-405 in Kirkland will remain open during the day while crews pave a section of roadway between NE 85th and NE 116th. Without drivers' help, WSDOT traffic engineers predict lengthy northbound backups, with the worst congestion between noon and 7 p.m. Drivers should expect lane and ramp closures throughout the weekend.
SR 548 Birch Bay - WSDOT closed Blaine Road (SR 548) for 43 days starting Wednesday, July 25, to replace a rusting culvert under the highway at Terrell Creek. The existing steel culvert blocks fish from moving upstream in Terrell Creek. Crews will replace it with a wide, concrete box culvert, with stream gravel spread along the bottom of to mimic a natural channel. The completed project also should protect the highway from erosion caused by water flowing out of holes in the culvert and pooling around it. Detour signs are posted to help drivers around the closure between Grandview Road and Bay Road.
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Announcements
US 12 Near White Pass Remains Closed through the Weekend Due To Unstable Rocks, Drivers Should Seek Alternate Route
WSDOT and its contractor’s construction crews will keep US 12, White Pass, closed while they work to remove rocks the size of refrigerators from the slope and the roadway. On July 25, during a routine 20 minute construction closure, a huge rock was loosened, but wouldn't’t break loose as planned. Efforts to bring the rock down safely took longer than anticipated, and WSDOT geotechnical engineers have determined the slope above the roadway isn’t stable enough for drivers to safely pass through the work zone. A 13-mile section of US 12, from the White Pass summit to the junction of SR 123, will remain closed until the slope is stabilized, possibly through the July 27 - 29 weekend or early in the week of July 30.
WSDOT and the contractor have been working on stabilizing the rock slope on US 12 near White Pass since the second week in July. This work consists of bringing large rocks down from the slope onto the highway and then loading them into trucks and hauling them away from the site.
Inspection Work Means Two Weekends of Lane Closures for Agate Pass Bridge
For two weekends beginning July 28 and August 4, motorists using the SR 305 Agate Pass Bridge should expect travel delays as WSDOT crews perform annual inspections. The inspection work work requires the use of an under bridge inspection truck, making it necessary for the inspections to take place during daylight hours. The bridge will be open to single-lane, alternating traffic, so drivers are encouraged to plan their commute accordingly and give themselves plenty of time to get to their destination. The bridge is the primary link between the Winslow ferry terminal and the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas.
M/V Evergreen State's Early Return to San Juan Islands
Washington State Ferries returned the M/V Evergreen State to the San Juan Islands inter-island route ahead of schedule on Saturday, July 21. Since July 16 the 34-car M/V Hiyu had been operating the San Juan Inter-Islands run while the 87-car M/V Evergreen State was at Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility for her required annual inspection.
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Gray Notebook Highlight - Cross Cutting Management Issues in Environmental Documentation, Review, Permitting and Compliance
The Endangered Species Act requires that all projects with federal funds or permits be evaluated for potential effects the project may have on endangered and threatened species. The Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is in the process of preparing regional supplements to the 1987 Wetland Deliniation Manual. These regional supplements include modified protocols for making wetland determinations. The intent of these regional supplements is in part, to standardize how wetlands are documented by delineators. The Corps issued its Interim Arid West Regional Supplement and it is now required for use. The draft version of Mountains, Valleys and Coasts Regional Supplement is tentatively scheduled for release later in 2007. WSDOT staff are working closely with the Corps and State Department of Ecology staff to understand how to use the new protocols that are included in the supplement. Details on this and other key issues can be found in the March 2007 Gray Notebook at:
www.wsdot.wa.gov/accountability.
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July/August Upcoming Events and Meetings
July
31 - Tuesday, 11:30 a.m., Ribbon cutting ceremony, SR 7 Safety Improvements - Spanaway: WSDOT and Pierce County are hosting an event to celebrate the completion of SR 7 (Pacific Avenue S.) safety improvements between SR 507 and SR 512. Location: Spanaway Kmart parking lot, 17911 Pacific Avenue, Spanaway.
August
3 - Friday, 9:30 - noon, ACCT Meeting - Olympia: The Agency Council on Coordinated Transportation will hold its monthly meeting, focusing on transportation planning and human services. Location: Department of Transportation Building, Commission Board Room, 310 Maple Park Avenue SE, Olympia.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Weekly Report Archive
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