Project of the Week - Construction begins on Alaskan Way Viaduct
Repairs to the Alaskan Way Viaduct to stabilize the viaduct column footings began this week. The columns have sunk five inches since the 2001 Nisqually earthquake. |
Construction has begun on the first of six safety projects to repair or replace Seattle’s
Alaskan Way Viaduct. These Moving Forward projects will replace or repair about half of the seismically vulnerable viaduct by 2012. On October 15, crews began work to stabilize four viaduct column footings between Columbia Street and Yesler Way. This is a temporary repair to improve safety for drivers until this section of the viaduct is taken down in 2012.
The columns in this location have settled approximately five inches into the ground since the 2001 Nisqually earthquake. Part of the reason for this settlement is that the Alaskan Way Viaduct is built on weak fill soil. During construction, the column footings will be strengthened by drilling a series of steel rods surrounded by concrete, called micropiles, into the stable soil about 60 feet underground. A total of 88 micropiles will be installed around the four columns, each able to carry a 95-ton load. An additional layer of reinforced concrete will secure the micropiles to the existing column footings. This will make the column foundations wider and stronger, limiting further settlement in this area.
WSDOT previously determined that the threshold for emergency repairs was six inches, but chose to make the repairs sooner because of a trend of continued settlement. The repairs will take about six months to complete. No viaduct lane closures will be required. About 20 parking stalls will be temporarily closed, as well as the traveling lane under the viaduct between Columbia Street and Yesler Way. No work will take place between November 22 and January 1, in order to accommodate holiday travel and shopping.
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Incident of the Week - WSDOT's IRT Assists During Rescue Event
Rescue crews lift an injured worker from the 140 feet below the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. |
Thursday, October 18 all eyes were on the new eastbound span of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (TNB). At around 9:30 a.m., Tacoma Fire responded to the bridge to rescue a contract worker who was injured and unable to get out of the east tower, also known as the Tacoma Tower.
Tacoma and Gig Harbor Fire Departments along with TNB employees teamed up to remove the injured worker from approximately 140 feet down in the tower of the Narrows bridge. The worker had to be lifted by rope to the tower entrance at the highway level to be transported to a medical facility.
As news helicopters circled overhead and emergency responders continued rescue efforts, Incident Response Team members Joe Gould, Willie Ramsey and Kathy Vatter responded to alert drivers and handle traffic control. Throughout the two-hour incident, eastbound traffic flowed freely over the bridge. Three lanes of traffic remained open, and drivers did a good job of keeping their eyes on the road ahead of them and away from the visual distraction.
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Update of Projects Under Way
I-5 Chehalis – A project that will add a new signal at the I-5 southbound 13th Street off-ramp will begin Monday, October 22. The new signal will improve safety on I-5 southbound by improving traffic flow at the off ramp and reducing the traffic backs up onto the interstate during heavy commute times. The project will take up to 35 working days. However, custom materials must be ordered for the signals, which can take several months. Because of the custom order required, the signal is expected to be operational in spring 2008.
SR 9 Arlington - Crews completed their work on SR 9 between 252nd and 268th Street NE, thanks to dry weekend weather. They filled in a dip, repaved SR 9 just south of 268th Street NE, and reopened the road by 5:30 p.m. Sunday, October 14. This winter, drivers may notice cracks forming in the newly-paved area as the road settles in the soft, peaty soil. The settling is necessary before crews can install culverts under the road and add turn lanes this spring. In the meantime, crews will monitor and repair the cracks as necessary.
SR 522 Lake Forest Park - Signal crews activated a new signal system at NE 153rd Street on SR 522 in Lake Forest Park on October 17. This was the final milestone in a project that improves transit access, traffic flow and safety on this busy stretch of SR 522. Crews built a new transit pullout in a safer location for buses to pick up riders with fewer traffic and transit delays. The new signal allows pedestrians safer access to the transit stops on both sides of the roadway. Crews began construction in fall 2006 and completed this project one month ahead of schedule. This $8.5 million project is one of several projects collectively known as the SR 522 - I-5 to I-405 Multimodal Project.
Western Washington Highway Maintenance – WSDOT had its crews out, chainsaws sharpened, generators gassed up and additional crews on standby for the first major winter storm in western Washington. WSDOT operates Washington’s highways 24-hours-a-day, 12 months-a-year to keep roads clear and drivers safe. WSDOT activities include:
•Clearing drains to prevent standing water from accumulating on highways during the storm.
•During the storm, crews worked around the clock to clear drains, remove debris and fallen trees. Trucks were equipped with plows to clear debris and open roadways quickly.
•Preparing generators to keep signals working at key intersections.
•A Pre-storm inspection of SR 520 floating bridge: crews inspected water tight hatches, generators and other standby power sources and mechanical draw span systems.
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Announcements
No New Settlement Found in Weekend Inspection of Alaskan Way Viaduct
Inspection results released on October 18 show no additional settlement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct between Columbia Street and Yesler Way, and no new structural damage. However, the viaduct continues to show signs of aging and deterioration. Since the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, the viaduct has settled approximately 5 inches between Columbia Street and Yesler Way.
WSDOT will conduct another survey and visual inspection of the viaduct in three months. The next full inspection, which requires a closure of the viaduct, is not scheduled until the spring.
Annual Construction Career Days Held in the Tri-Cities
For one day high school students had the opportunity to find out what it’s like to work in the highway construction industry by participating in “hands-on” demonstrations and learning how the industry’s heavy equipment works. The event was held on October 16 in Pasco and included representatives from WSDOT, contractor associations, the Yakama Tribe, and labor organizations. Construction Career Day is presented in response to the predictions of an increased demand for construction workers in the coming years. Fueling that demand is an increase in construction projects and a large number of current workers nearing retirement. The Federal Highway Administration estimates that nearly one million new construction jobs will be created over the next few years.
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Gray Notebook Highlight - Centerline Rumble Strips
The early success of centerline rumble strips to reduce crossover collisions has led WSDOT to make further investments in this safety strategy. Rumble strips alert drivers when they are crossing over the centerline by creating a loud noise and vibrations when the wheels of the vehicle touch the rumble strips. Evaluation of the earliest installations on SR 522 and US 12 (1995-1997) indicated a positive trend in reducing crossover collisions. Since 2005, more than 400 miles of centerline rumble strips have been installed on Washington's two-lane highways. There are a total 508 miles of centerline rumble strips statewide. More than 107 miles of these have at least two years of collision data available, which shows a collision reduction of 37 percent. Fatal and disabling injury crossover collisions have been reduced by 55 percent. More details on this topic can be found in the Highway Safety Annual Update of the June 2007 Gray Notebook: www.wsdot.wa.gov/accountability.
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October Open Houses, Meeting and Events
20, Saturday, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Open House, Columbia River Crossing Project - Vancouver: Columbia River Crossing is a bridge, highway, and public transit project sponsored by the Oregon Department of Transportation and the WSDOT. Learn more about the bridge, transit and highway options being analyzed for I-5 between Vancouver and Portland at an upcoming open house. You can talk with project staff, look at detailed maps, get the latest information about the project and submit your comments. Visit our virtual open house at http://www.columbiarivercrossing.org/ after October 17. Location: Lincoln Elementary School, 4200 NW Daniels Street, Vancouver, WA.
23, Tuesday, 4 - 7 p.m., Open House, SR 3 Belfair Bypass Project - Belfair: WSDOT's project team invites you to an open house to learn about the two chosen connectors for the SR 3 Belfair Bypass. WSDOT has selected a northern (N3) and a southern (S4) alternative and both will be used in the environmental study and preliminary design phase of the project. Location: N. Mason High School Gym, 200 E. Campus Drive, Belfair.
29, Monday, Noon, Completion Ceremony, SR 270 Pullman to Idaho Widening Project - Pullman: WSDOT is hosting a ceremony to mark completion of highway improvements for the SR 270 Pullman to Idaho State Line Added Lanes project. WSDOT widened the highway from two lanes to four, with a center turn-lane. Location: Four miles east of Pullman on the SR 270 project site, at milepost 8.5, one mile past the Sunshine Road intersection. RSVPs are encouraged by calling 509-324-6000.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Weekly Report Archive
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