Project of the Week - Crews Race to Save SR 530 from Collapsing into the Sauk River
Crews race against the rising Sauk River near Darrington to protect SR 530 from collapse. The river has eroded the bank, moving within 15 feet of the highway. |
Fall rains are here. Now it's a race against time and weather to
protect State Route (SR) 530 from collapsing into the rising Sauk River north of Darrington. Crews will use more than 100 trees and 15,000 tons of rock to armor the riverbank and protect the road from the river. The logs and rocks will be buried in 12 separate and strategically placed piles along a quarter-mile of the riverbank. As the river rises and erodes the remaining riverbank, the piles will be exposed and will slow and shift the force of the river away from the highway. This will help protect the road and keep drivers safe. Last year in November, the river ate more than 40 feet of riverbank, moving within 15 feet of the highway in places. It's imperative WSDOT does this work now, otherwise the road will collapse into the river. More than 1,000 drivers use this highway on a daily basis.
Crews started placing the logs and rocks in the riverbank this week and expect to finish the nearly $2 million emergency road protection project by the end of the month. One lane is closed and flaggers are alternating traffic through the work zone.
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Incident of the Week- OneDot Approach to Emergency Response
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At approximately 3:30 p.m. on September 24, a WSDOT maintenance crew member returning from Grays Harbor County encountered a disabled motorist being assisted by a state trooper on the shoulder of the U.S. 101 and I-5 interchange.
Maintenance technician Randy Pritchett approached the trooper who was attempting to lay out flares and offered to help. Pritchett lowered the attenuator of his work vehicle and displayed “ACCIDENT AHEAD—PASS WITH CAUTION” on an electronic message board. According to the trooper, the motorist lost a wheel from his motor home and was unable to move it to a safer area of shoulder. WSDOT's Incident Response Team was notified, and Pritchett volunteered to stay and protect the scene until they arrived.
Pritchett held his position on the shoulder and waited until IRT's Brian Fararr was ready to take over. Fararr, said Pritchett went above and beyond the call of duty and reported that both the state trooper and the driver were extremely happy that Pritchett stopped and offered help. Pritchett downplayed his involvement. “I did what anyone would do in my situation,” said Pritchett. “The driver and trooper were in a dangerous spot and I had the equipment needed to protect them.”
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Update of Projects Under Way
US 97 Oroville - Crews finished paving 11 miles of US 97 from five miles south of Oroville to the Canadian border. The project also updated sidewalk ramps in the City of Oroville and paved two of the town's streets. Work began May 29th and was complete September 28th.
SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge - Three refurbished concrete Hood Canal Bridge pontoons, named R, S and T, sailed across the Puget Sound and are now at the entrance of Port Gamble Bay. Retrofitting these 900-foot pontoons helps the Hood Canal Bridge project meet its May-June 2009 float-in date and saves taxpayers both time and money through refurbishing pontoons rather than building three new ones. The pontoons were first used in the 1980s after a 1979 storm destroyed the bridge’s west half. After being towed to Seattle for refurbishing in January 2007, R, S and T are now ready to be used as part of the new Hood Canal Bridge east half. They will be moored and monitored in Port Gamble Bay until installed as part of the new Hood Canal Bridge east half during the six-week May-June 2009 bridge replacement.
SR 202 North Bend - On September 26, we opened the roundabout at the eastbound I-90 exit to SR 202 to two lanes of traffic, three weeks ahead of schedule. The roundabout had been open in a one-lane configuration since late August. The old four-way stop at the end of the ramp could not accommodate the more than 5,000 drivers who use this exit on an average weekday, and traffic could back up onto eastbound I-90 during the afternoon rush hour.
I-405 Bellevue – Crews closed lanes for emergency repairs on I-405 in Bellevue after the surface of a 12 x 15-foot cement panel started breaking apart under traffic. Crews closed lanes at 10 a.m., October 2, to repair the damaged cement panel with quick-setting material and were able to reopen the lanes by 3 p.m. A batch of concrete laid overnight did not harden quickly the way it should have and the cause of the problem is being investigated. Crews have been replacing concrete panels as part of the I-405 South Bellevue Widening project for the past month. Of the 38 panels that needed replacement, there are only four left to complete.
SR 542 Mount Baker Highway - Snow depths at the 5,140-foot high Artist Point parking lot prompted WSDOT to close the upper gate near the visitor's center September 27. With forecasts calling for a descending snow line, the upper gate will remain closed, and the lower gate is scheduled to close Monday, October 8, unless snow and ice force crews to close it sooner. Mount Baker Highway to Artist Point close every year with the first snowfall, usually between the end of September and mid-October. Crews cleared snow and opened the road July 28 this year.
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Announcements
WSDOT Releases New Resource for Pilots
WSDOT has released its new “Washington State Airport Reference Guide.” The publication is an update to the “Pilot’s Guide to Washington Airports,” a popular reference guide that is produced every five years and funded through state aircraft registration fees. WSDOT developed the new guide using feedback from the state’s aviation community. The guide is updated with new aerial color photos – taken from a pilot’s perspective - of Washington’s 139 public use airports. Pilots using the guide will also find user-friendly, quick reference maps, weather reporting data and airport information.
WSDOT Aviation offers the guide at no cost from its Web site at: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/aviation/PilotsGuide/default.htm. Hard copies are also available at no cost at the WSDOT Aviation office in Arlington.
Successful Operations on SR 16 Continue
WSDOT planned for the worst-case scenario, but with continued smooth operations of the Tacoma Narrows bridges, we stopped our stand-by tow program as of October 1. After a three-month operation, WSDOT decided the stand-by tow program on SR 16 is not necessary because traffic between Gig Harbor and Tacoma has been flowing smoothly since the opening of the new Narrows Bridge. The towing contract was one of the tools WSDOT used to gear up for the bridge opening. In addition, WSDOT still has not activated ramp meters in the SR 16 corridor because traffic has not required it. So far, the only delays on the corridor have occurred near the Nalley Valley Viaduct where traffic some times backs up while trying to merge with slower I-5 traffic. We will continue to monitor traffic flow through the corridor.
State Route 167 Extension Project Receives Federal Approval
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on October 2 signed a Record of Decision for the SR 167 Extension Project in Pierce County. This federal approval completes the environmental documentation process and allows WSDOT to move forward with advanced engineering and design work on this project which will connect Renton to Tacoma.
When completed, the extension will replace the existing arterial route that follows River Road with six miles of new freeway north of the Puyallup River. This will complete SR 167 from SR 161 in Puyallup to Interstate 5 in Fife, with a connection to SR 509 near the Port of Tacoma. The project includes improvements to the natural environment surrounding the new freeway. In addition to managing stormwater runoff and preventing water pollution, WSDOT is designing environmental components that improve local streams, natural wetlands and wildlife habitat. The project will be built in stages as construction funding becomes available.
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Gray Notebook Highlight - Noise from Highways
Federal noise rules require that states evaluate noise when they expand or change the roadway in a way that will affect the noise environment. These rules includes expansion or realignment projects in locations that are already identified as high noise areas. Between 2005 and 2006 WSDOT built approximately six new miles of noise barrier, bringing the total to 79.3 miles of barrier installed since 1963. A portion of the new barrier construction includes locations along I-5 in Bellingham. WSDOT also plans to retrofit noise barrier in neighborhoods along I-5 in Seattle including Greenlake, Licton Springs, Eastlake and Portage Bay. There are about 60 prioritized, but unfunded locations statewide that have been identified for noise retrofits. More details on this topic can be found in the Environmental Programs Annual Update of the June 2007 Gray Notebook: www.wsdot.wa.gov/accountability.
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October Open Houses, Meetings and Events
8, Monday, Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, SR 17 Pioneer to Stratford Widening Project - Moses Lake: WSDOT will hold an event to celebrate the completion of widening on SR 17. The project expanded SR 17 to four lanes between I-90 and the Grant County International Airport. Location: SR 17 and Wheeler Road, Moses Lake.
9, Tuesday, Public Meeting, Tacoma Narrows Bridge Toll Use - Gig Harbor: The Washington State Transportation Commission will hold a public input meeting to discuss use of toll revenue from the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. WSDOT staff will give a presentation of expenditures that are paid through tolls, and a public comment period will follow. The Commission will use this information to develop recommendations to the legislature. Location: Gig Harbor City Council Chambers, 3510 Grandview Street, Gig Harbor.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Weekly Report Archive
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