Project of the Week - WSDOT is Ready for Unprecedented Lane Closures
WSDOT staffers (left to right) Diane Baker, Ethel Thomas and Karla Lopez answer callers' questions on the I-5 construction hotline, 206-440-4704. The hotline will operate from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily during the I-5 construction in Seattle. |
WSDOT engineers and contractors say they are about as ready as they will ever be for the unprecedented lane closures on northbound I-5 through downtown Seattle around the clock for the next 19 days. During the closure, crews will replace old, worn out expansion joints and repave the entire 1.1 mile section of I-5 from Spokane Street to I-90.
“We have done the engineering and the planning. We’ve worked with transit agencies and the city of Seattle,” said Secretary of Transportation Paula Hammond. “We have had unprecedented help from the media getting the word out. Now it’s up to drivers.”
Hammond said Washington State drivers have a history of paying attention when closures affect their commute. “When we reduced lanes on I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass over Thanksgiving two years ago after that rockslide, drivers listened and made alternate plans. We are so lucky to have such an informed driving public.” WSDOT is counting on that informed public again this month.
If any of your friends and neighbors ask, please direct them to our Web page for the very latest on the traffic and the closures:
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/SpokaneStreetBridgeRepair/traffic.htm. They can also call our WSDOT hotline for more information if they are on the road at 206.440.4704.
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Incident of the Week - WSDOT Crew in Pasco Responds to Collision, Gets Hit by Another Vehicle
On Friday, August 10, WSDOT Maintenance crew members in Pasco were called out at 3:30 a.m. to set up lane closures on I-182, while police agencies investigated a fatality collision. A westbound vehicle had rolled at a high rate of speed and came to rest in the eastbound lanes. The crew had set up a left-lane closure on westbound I-182, posting lane closure signs and placing cones to alert motorists of the closure ahead. They then turned around to set up traffic control in the eastbound direction.
With strobe lights flashing and arrow boards directing traffic into the right lane, one truck was used for placing cones while another truck followed behind with a truck-mounted crash cushion for safety. Maintenance worker Ryan Miller had set six or seven cones when he heard a loud bang and saw the truck behind lurch forward. He ran back to check on Ray Torres, the truck's driver and saw the vehicle that collided with the truck was on fire. Ryan quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the blaze. Fortunately neither driver involved in the collision was seriously injured. The driver who struck the truck admitted he was talking on his cell phone when the incident occurred. The crew set up another transition for the second incident and finished their original lane closure. Following investigations, all lanes were reopend at 6:55 a.m.
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Update of Projects Under Way
I-5 Everett - On August 6, crews switched westbound traffic crossing over I-5 on 112th Street SE from the old bridges and onto the new bridges just north of the old overpass, as part of Sound Transit’s I-5 South Everett Freeway Station Project. Crews expect to complete the switch next week by moving eastbound traffic to the new bridges on Monday night, August 13. The project, scheduled for completion in late 2008, will allow buses, carpools and vanpools to go directly from the I-5 HOV lanes to a new 400-stall park-and-ride lot in the I-5 median at 112th Street SE. A new access road from 112th Street SE will allow solo drivers to reach the park-and-ride.
I-5 Marysville - The Tulalip Tribe, WSDOT and contractor Wilder Construction began work in August on the I-5, 88th Street interchange in Marysville to ease congestion and increase safety on this busy overpass. By the end of fall, crews will have added an additional left-turn lane at the west end of the 88th Street overpass and a second left-turn lane on the northbound I-5 exit ramp to 88th Street. The new turn lanes will increase capacity and help prevent traffic from backing up onto I-5, reducing the risk of high speed rear-end collisions.
SR 501 Ridgefield - On August 16, WSDOT will complete Clark County's first highway roundabout on SR 501, also known as Pioneer Street. The roundabout at 45th Avenue has been under construction as part of a local development project since late June. This is one of five roundabouts that may be constructed on SR 501 in the coming years. City of Ridgefield officials, working closely with WSDOT, looked at various options when planning for transportation needs to handle the growth of the area. Safety and travel volume were essential in determining that roundabouts would be a good fit for the highway in this area.
SR 543 Blaine - WSDOT will switch to the new northbound lanes of SR 543 in Blaine as early as Tuesday, August 14, to make room for construction on the D Street interchange and future southbound lanes. Crews lowered the highway more than 25 feet to make this possible. All trucks and north- and southbound drivers temporarily will share the new lanes while crews finish the new truck lane, D Street, D Street interchange ramps and southbound lanes. The highway will still be one lane in each direction. WSDOT expects to open D Street and the new truck lane this fall, and finish the southbound lanes and D Street interchange ramps next spring.
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Announcements
White Pass Scenic Byway Completes Corridor Management Plan, Implements Marketing Plan and Route Signage
The White Pass Scenic Byway (US 12 extending from I-5 to Naches, and communities in between) has completed their Corridor Management Plan. The Corridor Management Plan is an achievement in cooperative community planning. The corridor plan inventories the area’s intrinsic qualities; sets forth themes and community goals for preservation of the byway's special character; and outlines plans that are intended to increase economic activity in the region.
Upon completion of the Corridor Management Plan, the byway group lost no time in implementing their gateway and community sign plan. The White Pass Scenic Byway sought approval from WSDOT for the design and locations of byway signs that will be funded by a National Scenic Byway grant. The signs are designed in the “rustic Cascadian” architectural style which is consistent with the Mather Memorial Design Guidelines used by the Forest Service and Mt. Rainier.
WSF Increases Passenger-Only Sailings during I-5 Construction
Washington State Ferries (WSF) will be making a number of vessel and schedule changes to respond to the I-5 construction between Spokane Street and I-90. For the Seattle/Bremerton route, beginning Sunday, August 12, the 188-car MV Walla Walla will be replaced by the 144-car Kaleetan on the Seattle/Bremerton route.
The Kaleetan carries fewer vehicles but it carries 500 more passengers than the Walla Walla. The 6:20 a.m. sailing from Bremerton will have passenger space available to accommodate walk-on passengers. WSF is encouraging customers to park their vehicles on either the Bremerton or Seattle side and walk-on the ferry during the I-5 construction to avoid waits and to streamline their commute.
On Monday, August 13, WSF will add two passenger-only sailings to the Seattle/Vashon passenger-only schedule to assist during the I-5 construction. In addition to the regularly scheduled weekday sailings from Vashon, there will be a weekday 5:50 a.m. sailing from Vashon to Seattle and a 6:25 a.m. sailing from Seattle to Vashon. In addition to the scheduled weekday afternoon sailings from Seattle to Vashon, the ferry system is adding a 3:35 p.m. sailing. There will also be an added 4:10 p.m. weekday sailing from Vashon to Seattle.
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Gray Notebook Highlight - Washington State Ferries Customer Complaints
Washington State Ferries (WSF) monitors complaints, comments and compliments. In the first quarter of 2007, WSF completed 38,762 trips and carried over five million riders. During that period, WSF received 595 complaints, averaging 11.8 complaints per 100,000 customers, a 70% increase compared to 6.9 complaint average (381 total) from the previous quarter. The ferry system monitors 25 different categories that address riders' concerns. Ticketing complaints saw a significant increase during the first quarter of 2007. This is attributed to the elimination of coupon books and a new requirement that all customers receive a receipt for each toll-booth transaction. Other complaints included employee behavior (53), facility and vessel maintenance (42) and loading and unloading (34). Details on this subject and other key issues can be found in the March 2007 Gray Notebook at www.wsdot.wa.gov/accountability.
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August Open Houses, Meetings and Events
19 - 22, Sunday through Wednesday - Public Transportation Conference and Expo - Vancouver, WA: "Expanding Our Horizons" is the theme of this year's public transportation conference, bringing together public transportation providers, planners and advocates. Location: Hilton Hotel and Convention Center, 301 West Sixth Street, Vancouver, WA.
22 - Wednesday, 10 a.m., Ribbon cutting, I-90 Harvard Road Pedestrian Bridge - Liberty Lake: WSDOT is hosting an event to celebrate the completion of a new bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the westbound on ramp to Interstate 90. Location: Liberty Lake/Harvard Road Interchange. Parking available behind the Best Western on Pepper Lane, Liberty Lake.
22 - Wednesday, 6 - 8 p.m., Open House, Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project - Seattle: WSDOT project team members will provide information and ask for feedback on electrical line relocation work and other construction activities in Seattle's Pioneer Square this coming fall. Location: Pioneer Square, Grand Central Arcade, Seattle.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Weekly Report Archive
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