Project of the Week - SR 104, Hood Canal Bridge Team Discusses Closure Plan
The sun rises over the Hood Canal Bridge, which will be closed to drivers for six weeks in May-June 2009 while WSDOT replaces the east half of the bridge. |
WSDOT presented new details of the plan to help drivers get around during the May-June 2009 bridge closure to members of the Peninsula Regional Transportation Planning Organization (PRTPO) on September 14. The PRTPO identified the
Hood Canal Bridge Project as its top priority, and the group works closely with the Hood Canal Bridge Project Team.
The six week closure of the Hood Canal Bridge is necessary to replace the east half of the bridge that WSDOT and contractor Kiewit-General (K-G) are currently constructing. When the bridge closes for replacement starting in May 2009, drivers will have several options getting to their destinations. The PRTPO helped identify and evaluate these options for the bridge closure. A temporary passenger-only water shuttle will carry passengers from South Point, southwest of the bridge, across Hood Canal to Port Gamble, northeast of the bridge. Temporary park-and-ride lots and expanded transit routes will offer commuters and travelers connections to their final destination. A medical bus will also be provided from the water shuttle dock at Port Gamble to specific medical locations through Kitsap County and in Seattle.
WSDOT expects increased traffic on US 101 and SR 3, and will encourage drivers to use rideshare options. Some of the steps to improve traffic flow include monitoring traffic on alternate routes and the completion of the Mt. Walker Passing Lanes on US 101 and the Belfair Signal on SR 3.
At Friday’s meeting, PRTPO members discussed the increased traffic during the closure and how this would affect their agencies. A Washington State Ferries representative also reported that the ferries would have extended hours and would adjust to travelers’ needs by moving boats around if necessary.
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Incident of the Week - Bus Catches Fire, WSDOT Team Effort Clears the Scene
As usual, it was the worst time of day for this kind of incident – at 7:50 a.m. a Metro Access bus was suddenly ablaze on northbound I-5 at mid-Boeing Field. Not a small fire, but fully engulfed with flames shooting out.
Fire fighters rushed to the scene and doused the flames quickly - no one was hurt. By then, traffic was backing up for miles. IRT member Lori Parise was there at 8:10 to keep traffic moving, but was relieved nine minutes later by WSDOT maintenance crews driving two impact attenuator trucks. It is a standing policy in King County to have maintenance crews replace IRT (if possible) when an incident runs longer than 30 minutes. Freeing up the IRT crews allows them to continue to rove and helping out in other areas.
Fortunately, the impact attenuators are huge and quite hard to miss. With their arrows directing traffic to keep left, vehicles funneled through in an orderly fashion.
The Seattle radio room contacted Metro immediately and worked to get a tow truck in the field ASAP. The burned-out bus left the side of the freeway at about 9 a.m. Just over an hour – that’s not bad.
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Update of Projects Under Way
SR 3/303 Silverdale - Drivers passing through the State Route (SR) 3/SR 303 interchange noticed significant changes to the roadways this week. On September 17, WSDOT crews activated a new traffic signal on the Waaga Way overpass as part of an ongoing project to keep traffic moving at the interchange. The signal activation coincides with opening of two new ramps to traffic at the north end of the project area. The stoplight controls traffic to and from the new ramps as well as the flow of traffic across the overpass. Work is part of a $16.7 million project that started in April 2006 and is slated for completion this fall. Once finished, drivers will have a direct-access route between SR 3 and SR 303.
I-5 Lacey - Work continues on a traffic fix at the I-5/Marvin Road intersection. Work began last month on this six-week project to widen the southbound off-ramp at Exit 111, creating an additional left-turn lane onto Marvin Road. This week, crews closed the off-ramp from I-5 to Marvin Road overnight both Wednesday and Thursday to remove temporary barrier and continue to construct the new lane. Work hours are 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
I-5 Seattle - The I-5 Ship Canal Bridge is due for its biennial check-up. Starting Saturday, September 22, WSDOT structural engineers and bridge inspectors will start the process of inspecting the 45 year-old bridge structure, expected to take three weeks. WSDOT bridge crews will do this work using an under-bridge inspection truck to inspect the steel trusses and underside of the upper bridge deck, paying special attention to rust in the steel, loose bolts and cracks in the concrete. They will also look for places where water can get between bridge deck sections through expansion joints and cause corrosion. Maintenance crews will take advantage of the morning lane closures to perform pothole patching and expansion joint repair. Crews will continue their inspection of the bridge and maintenance repairs through the month of October.
I-5 Marysville - On September 17, WSDOT drilling crews began work in the median of I-5 in Marysville. This activity is part of ongoing survey work, which will help engineers develop more detailed plans and cost estimates to replace 10 miles of cable median barrier with concrete barrier along the northbound lanes. For the next four weeks, crews will take soil samples and install several small wells to measure fluctuations in the water table. While this work will not require lane closures, it will take place during the day and may be a visual distraction for drivers. The stormwater drainage and environmental needs of each project are unique and can heavily influence a project’s cost and schedule. WSDOT engineers remain cautiously optimistic that this project can be built for $27 million and, if funding becomes available, begin construction as early as 2009.
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Announcements
WSDOT Begins Repairs to Stop Viaduct Settlement
The first of six projects to repair or replace more than half of the deteriorating Alaskan Way Viaduct will start next month. WSDOT announced on September 17 its contract for the project was awarded to C.A. Carey Corporation. This project will strengthen the viaduct between Columbia Street and Yesler Way where the structure has settled approximately five inches since the 2001 Nisqually earthquake. C.A. Carey submitted the lowest bid of $3.02 million. Work will begin in mid-October. The foundation work is expected to take six months to complete. No work will take place between Nov. 22 and Jan. 1, in order to accommodate Seattle’s holiday construction moratorium.
No viaduct lane closures will be required during the project. Repairs involve strengthening the existing structural footings by drilling a series of steel rods, called micropiles, into the stable ground that lies beneath the fill soil upon which the viaduct rests. These micropiles are each able to carry a 95-ton load and will make a wider and stronger column foundation, preventing further settlement in this area.
“These repairs are part of our overall plan to keep drivers safe on the viaduct, and to take down or repair more than half of the structure by 2012,” said Ron Paananen, WSDOT program director.
Washington Public Safety Groups Working Together to Get Traffic Moving
Washington’s new Traffic Incident Management Coalition hosted Washington's first Traffic Incident Management Conference September 18 and 19 in Seattle, bringing together incident responders and traffic safety stakeholders from across Washington. The TIM Coalition, a policy group created to oversee implementation of the National Unified Goal for Traffic Incident Management, is working to find new and better ways to keep drivers safe and keep traffic moving.
“This event presents an opportunity for all highway response partners to come together and solidify an efficient approach to handling traffic incidents” said T.J. Nedrow Traffic Coalition Chair. “This will result to maximize resources to safely get traffic incidents off the road and motorists back moving as quickly as possible.”
First responders, including WSDOT’s Incident Response Team, Washington State Patrol, local fire services, towing and recovery businesses, cleanup contractors and other aid groups work together to clear incidents from Washington’s state highways. To get traffic moving quicker and work safely, they are finding new and innovative ways to communicate and work together. WSDOT has been a leader in building local partnerships, with new initiatives such as its Joint Operating Policy Statement with the Washington State Patrol, agreements with local coroners to remove deceased persons from incident scenes and working with tow truck operators to get damaged heavy trucks off the road safer and quicker.
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Gray Notebook Highlight - Construction Contracts Annual Update
WSDOT awarded 138 highway construction contracts between July 1, 2006 and June 20, 2007 (Fiscal Year 2007). These contracts represent a 16.9% increase from the number of contracts (118 total) awarded between July 1, 2005 and June 30, 2006 (FY 2006). For every contract awarded, WSDOT tracks the difference between the contract award amounts and the engineer's estimate. The total award amount of all contracts for FY 2007 totaled $531,708,985. This was 1.2 percent above the total engineer's estimate of $525,491,874. The awarded total represents a 47.1 percent increase from FY 2006 ($361,514,031) in the value of contract awards.
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September Open Houses, Meetings, and Events
24, Monday, 5 - 8 p.m., Open House, Alaskan Way Viaduct & Seawall Replacement Program - Seattle: Learn about proposed roadway improvements from South Holgate to South King Streets, which accounts for about 40 percent of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Location: Starbucks Support Center, 2401 Utah Avenue South, Seattle.
25, Tuesday, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m., Open House, SR 202 Sahalee Way to Duthie Hill Road Corridor Study - Sammamish: WSDOT, the City of Sammamish, King County and Puget Sound Regional Council developed a list of projects to address safety and mobility on SR 202 from Sahalee Way to Duthie Road. We are hosting an open house so that the public can ask questions, submit their ideas and view the proposed options to address current and future transportation issues along this corridor. Location: Sammamish City Hall, 801 N. 228th Avenue SE, Sammamish.
25, Tuesday, 4:30 - 7:30 p.m., Open House, SR 302 Corridor - Gig Harbor: A new study to improve safety on the SR 302 corridor is the focus of this open house meeting. The study will evaluate the pros and cons of creating a new corridor or improving the existing one. Project team members will give a presentation at 4:45 p.m. and repeat it at 6:15 p.m. Location: Peninsula High School, 14105 Purdy Drive NW, Gig Harbor.
25, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., Ferry Advisory Committee Meeting, Kingston: Washington State Ferries and local Ferry Advisory Committees will hold a series of public meetings throughout the Puget Sound. WSF staff and committee members will discuss a number of operational and service issues, including electronic fare system, results of a recent Origin and Destination survey, and schedule changes. A public comment period will be held at the end of each meeting. Location: Kingston Yacht Club, 25915 Washington Boulevard, Kingston.
26, Wednesday, 4 - 7 p.m., Open House, SR 502 Corridor Widening - Battle Ground: WSDOT's project team will hold an open house, providing an opportunity for community members to review the details of the project design, learn about the project's next steps and provide comments. Location: Battle Ground High School, 300 West Main Street, Battle Ground.
26, Wednesday, 5 - 8 p.m., Open House, Alaskan Way Viaduct & Seawall Replacement Program - Seattle: Learn about proposed roadway improvements from South Holgate to South King Streets, which accounts for about 40 percent of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Location: Madison Middle School, 3429 45th Avenue Southwest, Seattle.
27, Thursday, 9 a.m., Ferry Advisory Committee Meeting, Anacortes: Washington State Ferries and local Ferry Advisory Committees will hold a series of public meetings throughout the Puget Sound. WSF staff and committee members will discuss a number of operational and service issues, including electronic fare system, results of a recent Origin and Destination survey, and schedule changes. A public comment period will be held at the end of each meeting. Location: Flounder Bay Cafe, 2201 Skyline Way, Anacortes.
27, Thursday, 2:30 p.m., Ferry Advisory Committee Meeting, Friday Harbor: Washington State Ferries and local Ferry Advisory Committees will hold a series of public meetings throughout the Puget Sound. WSF staff and committee members will discuss a number of operational and service issues, including electronic fare system, results of a recent Origin and Destination survey, and schedule changes. A public comment period will be held at the end of each meeting. Location: Mullis Senior Center, 589 Nash Street, Friday Harbor.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Weekly Report Archive
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