Project of the Week - I-90 Liberty Lake Pedestrian Bridge Completed
A new pedestrian and bicycle bridge across a busy I-90 on-ramp at Liberty Lake opened with celebration on August 22. |
Contractor crews completed work on the second
Interstate 90 Liberty Lake interchange pedestrian bridge. This project added a pedestrian bridge across the westbound Interstate 90 on-ramp. The new bridge adds an element of safety for trail users who, until now, had to cross the busy on-ramp at a marked crosswalk. The new bridge opened for walkers, runners, and bicyclists on August 13. WSDOT hosted a community celebration of project completion on August 22. The first bridge, completed in 2005, spans the mainline lanes of the freeway.
The new on-ramp pedestrian bridge (left) joins its counterpart over the I-90 freeway. |
Wesslen Construction of Spokane was the prime contractor with a construction bid of $892,498. Funding for the project came from the 2005 State Transportation Partnership legislation and Federal funds.
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Incident of the Week - IRT Helps Clean I-5 Nisqually Mess
At 1:40 a.m. on August 16, the driver of a semi hauling two trailers – one containing pesticides, the other latex paint – reportedly fell asleep at the wheel, crashed through the guardrail and rolled his truck into a ditch on northbound I-5, just south of the Nisqually River Bridge. Shortly after 2 a.m., Incident Response Team (IRT) members Bryan Farrar and James Lang arrived at the scene. After assessing the situation, they set up traffic control, closing the right lane.
The truck’s driver, who sustained minor injuries, initially told Washington State Patrol (WSP) he was hauling explosives, necessitating the deployment of a bomb squad to the scene. Only after WSP obtained the manifest from the trucking company, stating the true contents on board, did cleanup efforts begin. As the morning commute began, WSDOT, WSP, the Department of Ecology, along with private companies coordinated efforts and developed a plan to offload the cargo. Due to the close proximity to the Nisqually River and McAllister Creek, extra care was taken with removing the trailers’ contents before they absorbed into the soil or waterways. Just after 8:30 a.m., IRT reopened the right lane to traffic while the shoulder remained closed. Delays persisted throughout the day, as drivers remained distracted by the sight of the overturned truck. At times, backups stretched as far as seven miles.
Cleanup efforts continued throughout the day. Crews cut a hole in the side of one trailer and inserted a hose and pumped 6,000 gallons of paint from one trailer to another standing by. Workers unloaded an additional 184 five-gallon buckets by hand. The contents from both trailers were removed by 2:30 p.m. At 7 p.m., as traffic volumes decreased, IRT and maintenance crews returned to the site to finish the truck removal. By 8 p.m., the northbound right lane of I-5 closed again while WSP, WSDOT and a tow truck worked to clear the truck. By 9:30 p.m. the truck had been up-righted removed from the site. Department of Ecology completed their work just after midnight and the lane reopened to traffic early Friday.
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Update of Projects Under Way
I-5 Seattle - Crews are in the final phase of construction on Interstate 5 just south of downtown Seattle. At 5 a.m., August 23, crews opened all lanes north of the exit to I-90, James and Madison Streets. After completing striping crews opened all lanes between Spokane Street and I-90 at 5:45 a.m., Saturday August 25. During the 14-day around-the-clock closure, crews working for Concrete Barrier Inc. broke apart old concrete surrounding 34 old, worn-out expansion joints, installed new expansion joints and repaved 1.13 miles of northbound I-5 between Spokane St and I-90.
I-5 Lacey - On August 20, crews began work on a six-week project to widen the southbound off-ramp at I-5/Marvin Road intersection, Exit 111, creating an additional left-turn lane onto Marvin Road. The projects will help improve traffic flow in the rapidly developing Hawks Prairie vicinity. This project is a partnership between WSDOT and the City of Lacey. Lakeside Industries of Lacey was awarded the contract with a low bid of $433,000.
SR 20 Oak Harbor – For the second time this month, crews lowered another hill along SR 20 in south Oak Harbor to improve sight distance for drivers turning on and off the highway. The hill between Harbor Vista Circle and Capital Street along SR 20 has been the site of numerous collisions. Crews removed up to 200 truck-and-trailer loads of dirt to shave three feet off the hill and improve sight distance for drivers. Crews started digging August 18 at 8 p.m. and worked around the clock all week, finishing on August 24.
SR 502 Battle Ground - A new signal on SR 502, also known as 10th Avenue, went into operation on August 21. This portion of SR 502 had been identified as a high accident corridor, a term that identifies a collision rate that is greater than normal. This intersection experienced 12 collisions in a three-year period, from 2002-05, resulting in 20 injuries and one fatality. With the installation of this signal, collisions at this intersection are expected to decrease. Along with installing the traffic signal, crews added pedestrian crosswalks and lighting at the intersection and left turn pockets.
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Announcement
WSF Asks Travelers to be Prepared for Heavy Labor Day Traffic
Washington State Ferries (WSF) asks that travelers allow for extra time over the upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend. The heaviest backups and overloading are anticipated 3 -7 p.m. Friday, August 31, on westbound routes. Return traffic is anticipated to be heaviest Sunday, September 2, afternoon and evening and morning sailings on Labor Day, September 3, as people return early to prepare their children to return to school.
Waits and advance arrival recommendations vary by route. Travelers needing specific information can call the Washington State Ferries Information line at 1-888-808-7977 or check the web site at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/.
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Gray Notebook Highlight - WSDOT Worker Injuries
In July 2006, WSDOT began an initiative to reduce the number of OSHA-recordable worker injuries and illnesses by 30 percent. The second agency wide "safety stand down" was held in July 2007 to reinforce WSDOT's expectations for better safety planning and heightened safety accountability. For all categories of workers: highway maintenance, highway engineering, ferry system, and administrative, the total number of injuries for the third quarter of fiscal year 2007 was 81. This is five less injuries than the same period in fiscal year 2006. The most frequently injured part of the body was the back. More details on this and other key issues can be found in the March 2007 edition of the Gray Notebook at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/accountability.
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September Events
7 - 23, Friday - Sunday, 10 a.m. - 10 p.m., Western Washington Fair - Puyallup: Visit WSDOT at the Northwest Building during the fair. Pick up a free Washington State Highway Map and learn more about what WSDOT is doing for the environment. On Friday, September 21, meet with members of WSDOT's Avalanche Control team and I-90 Snoqualmie East project. Learn about safe winter driving, avalanche control work, and future plans for this major mountain pass highway. Location: Western Washington Fairgrounds, Puyallup.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Weekly Report Archive
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