Project of the Week - New culvert improves habitat for fish, safety for drivers
Crews installed a new concrete culvert that will allow fish to pass beneath SR 548 in a more natural streambed.
The culvert under SR 548 was a barrier to fish passage. |
A nearly-completed highway project in the northwest corner of Whatcom County will help fish swim upstream and improve drivers’ ability to see oncoming traffic.
Crews replaced a culvert under SR 548 (Blaine Road) at Terrell Creek, and removed a significant dip in the road. They expect to open the road September 11, nearly three weeks ahead of their original estimate.
Before July, Terrell Creek passed under Blaine Road through a rusted steel pipe and blasted out the other side about a foot above the creek surface. “It’s like a fire hose,” said Kristin Fredericks, a WSDOT wetland and fisheries biologist, when the project was getting started. “It’s too small, and the water flows too fast.”
That pipe has been replaced by a concrete box culvert that mimics a natural stream bed. The flat base of the culvert is lined with gravel, and the water can flow through without creating any jumps for fish. Puget Sound steelhead, recently listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act, are among the fish that depend on Terrell Creek for habitat.
While working on Terrell Creek, WSDOT took the opportunity to improve safety for drivers by removing a dip that obscured oncoming cars from view. The completed project also should protect the highway from erosion caused by water flowing out of holes in the culvert and pooling around it. Damaged culverts can create sinkholes and cause roads to crumble.
Blaine Road has been closed since July 26 while crews cut out the old culvert – a corrugated steel pipe about 110 feet long and 12 feet in diameter that hung out over the surface of the creek. The new concrete rectangular culvert is 145 feet long, 18 feet wide and 10 feet tall. Crews are schedule to pave the road on Friday, September 7, and install guardrail the following Monday.
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Incidents of the Week - Cooperative Efforts Needed on I-5
Two WSDOT Regions Work as One
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At 10:34 a.m. on Saturday, August 25, Incident Response Team (IRT) members responded to the scene of a seven-car, chain reaction collision on I-5, just south of the Pierce/King County line. The driver of a northbound vehicle reportedly swerved to avoid traffic slowing ahead of her and left the roadway, launching her car airborne – grazing the top of the median cable barrier – and into the southbound lanes.
First at the scene was Corey Grimm from Northwest Region IRT. He arrived 10 minutes after the incident to find all southbound lanes completely blocked. After officially closing the lanes, Grimm worked with a WSP staff sergeant to ease the traffic logjam, making use of a median turnaround to redirect motorists onto northbound I-5. Meanwhile, Northwest Region IRT crew members Pat Eakman, Lori Parise, and Steve Simkin arrived at the I-5 intersection at SR 18 and closed the southbound ramps onto I-5. They remained stationed in that vicinity, directing drivers on SR 18 toward SR 99. Southbound drivers on I-5 were detoured around the incident onto SR 161 and SR 167.
Nearby, Olympic Region IRT members Willie Ramsey and Kathy Vatter arrived and began providing written detour directions for drivers that needed them, printed from the computers in their trucks. They also supplied maps to out-of-state travelers.
Back at the scene, Olympic Region IRT crew members Mike Evans and Brian Farrar joined Grimm to reroute drivers hemmed in near the scene onto Porter Way. With help from the Tacoma Fire Department, they swept and shoveled the roadway clear of dirt, glass, metal, and other debris from the damaged vehicles. Upon finishing, Grimm turned his attention toward helping drivers still caught in the gridlock, joining Parise and Simkin to rove the backups.
All southbound lanes were closed for five hours and a northbound lane was also closed for an extended period. Southbound I-5 experienced a seven-mile backup while northbound backups extended three miles to the Port of Tacoma Road. A Seahawks game, collisions to the north and south of this situation, and backups on alternate routes exacerbated a frustrating day for drivers. I-5, SR 18 and Pacific Highway were backed up for miles. WSDOT’s IRT was there to help ease frustration levels.
Vatter noted that drivers were appreciative of the IRT’s efforts. “When we handed them written directions, it made them feel comfortable about having to get off I-5 and around the incident,” she said. She was also happy to see two region IRT crews work together. As she put it, “It was the spirit of One DOT in action!”
Contractor for WSDOT Project Pitches In at Collision Scene
On Thursday, August 23, WSDOT Incident Response Coordinator Randy Bateman was alerted to an incident on I-5 in Lewis County. The incident occurred just before 2 a.m., involving two semi-trucks that collided near the LaBree Road overpass, blocking both northbound lanes of I-5.
Bateman learned that one of the semi-trucks was leaking a large amount of fuel onto the interstate. He contacted WSDOT Engineer Clint Ritter for assistance. Ritter was working at a nearby construction site, just north of where the incident had occurred. He traveled to the incident scene and provided Bateman with detailed information about the back-ups as vehicles began to cautiously use the shoulder of the highway to bypass the collision.
Once Bateman arrived, he promptly began removing the remaining diesel fuel from the leaking semi-truck. He also advised Maintenance Technician Kyle Runyon to begin traffic control and arrange advance warning signs at the State Route 508 interchange to alert motorists of the incident ahead.
The contractor for the I-5 widening construction project, Scarsella Brothers, Inc., helped by providing additional traffic control at the scene. At approximately 6:30 a.m., both semi-trucks were removed from the interstate. The only item remaining was a container filled with lumber from one of the semi-trucks along the shoulder of the highway. Crews waited to remove the container until later that evening due to avoid delaying morning commuters. Coordinated efforts by WSDOT’s Incident Response Team and Scarsella Brothers, Inc. were essential in clearing this collision in time for the morning commute.
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Update of Projects Under Way
I-5 Bellingham - WSDOT repaired cracked and broken sections of of Interstate 5 in Bellingham this week. Crews made temporary repairs between Sunset Drive and Samish Way by sealing cracked panels and pouring new concrete in areas where the panels have broken into chunks. This temporary repair is intended to get us through winter. We wanted to repair more than 200 broken concrete panels, smooth some rough bridge transitions and pave several on- and off-ramps this summer, but our only bid was $1 million more than our $3 million engineers estimate. We will advertise the project again this fall, and hope to attract more contractors and competitive bids within our estimates.
SR 166 Port Orchard - A two-day paving operation on SR 166 resulted in a smoother drive for motorists within the city of limits of Port Orchard. Crews paved both lanes between Peninsula Feed and Bay Ford on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.
SR 542 Mount Baker Highway - WSDOT will close the Mount Baker Highway (SR 542) at Coal Creek, about 2.5 miles east of Glacier, all day Tuesday, September 18 while crews reinforce the eroding stream bank and bridge footings with large boulders. They will close the highway by 7 a.m. and hope to have the work finished before 7 p.m. Crews must use a large crane that will block the entire highway to lower the boulders into place. The creek channel is dry right now, making this the best time to do the work. By reinforcing the bank now, WSDOT can avoid more costly emergency repairs in the future. WSDOT will post signs and distribute fliers notifying drivers of the upcoming closure.
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Announcements
WSDOT Advises Labor Day Travelers to Plan Ahead
WSDOT advises travelers to plan, check, prepare, and repeat for Labor Day weekend. Traffic managers say 2006 winter storm leftovers have more drivers heading to I-90 and US 2 for Labor Day. Information on the best times to travel during Labor Day is on WSDOT's website at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/News/2007/08/24_LaborDayTrafficCharts
Drivers heading out for the last summer weekend could see long delays on I-90 and US 2 mountain pass highways during peak travel times Friday and Monday. The best times to travel are before noon Friday and before 10 a.m. or after 10 p.m. Monday. WSDOT has seen an unusual increase in traffic over I-90 Snoqualmie Pass in August. Sunday afternoon I-90 backups have averaged 10-20 miles east of the summit, with no reported collisions. A collision could add miles and time. WSDOT traffic engineers believe the washout of SR 123 over Cayuse Pass and the boulder-removal work on US 12, combined with lower gas prices and the downtown Seattle I-5 work have led more drivers to I-90.
WSDOT’s New Cameras Bring a Clearer Picture of Vancouver Area Traffic
WSDOT added four new cameras to the traffic maps at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/vancouver/. With the addition of these four cameras, there are now a total of 27 cameras online in the Vancouver area for drivers to check out before they hit the road.
Drivers will find the new cameras at the following locations:
I-5 at 35th Street (showing I-5, SR 500 Interchange)
I-205 at NE 18th Street
I-205 at 76th Street
I-205 at Padden Parkway
The cameras provide a clearer picture of Vancouver traffic and helps drivers make choices before they hit the road. WSDOT has also made traffic maps and cameras available for many Web-accessible cell phones at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/small/
Hiyu to Operate on the Point Defiance-Tahlequah Ferry Route Through mid-September
The regular vessel on the Point Defiance-Tahlequah route, the Rhododendron, will be out of service until mid-September for repair. WSF had hoped to have the vessel back in service the week of August 27, but has since learned that repairs will take longer than expected. The 34-car Hiyu, the smallest ferry in the fleet, is operating on the Point Defiance-Tahlequah route in the meantime.
The 60 year-old Rhododendron is at Foss Shipyard in Seattle for repairs to the rub rail approximately four feet above the waterline. “We’re working with our shipyard partners and the U.S. Coast Guard to repair the vessel and have it back in service as soon as possible,” said Paul Brodeur, WSF Director of Vessel Preservation and Maintenance. Built in 1947 in Baltimore, Maryland, the Rhododendron is the only vessel of its class in the WSF fleet.
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Gray Notebook Highlight - Security at Safety Rest Areas
Safety and security concerns at safety rest areas rank high according to customer feedback, especially along the Interstate corridors. WSDOT and the Washington State Patrol (WSP) work together to address problems that include loitering, solicitation, possible drug activity and vandalism. WSDOT developed a plan to install security cameras at rest areas with the greatest number of problems. These cameras are expected to provide a safer environment for rest area visitors. Details on this topic and other key issues can be found in the March 2007 Gray Notebook at www.wsdot.wa.gov/accountability. As an update to the March Gray Notebook, WSDOT recently installed cameras at two rest areas in Eastern Washington where there has been gang-related activity.
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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 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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