Project of the Week- HOT lanes open this weekend to toll-paying solo drivers
New signs over the SR 167 HOT lanes will indicate the current toll for solo drivers with Good To Go! transponders who want to use the lane. |
Drivers on SR 167 have new options available to them after high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes opened to solo drivers who can’t afford to be stuck in traffic.
The official launch of the SR 167 HOT Lanes Pilot Project on Saturday, May 3, marks the first time Washington state has used variable tolling as a tool for improving highway efficiency. The toll price automatically increases and decreases with the level of traffic in the HOT lane. If successful, HOT lanes will maintain free-flowing conditions for buses and carpool lanes, while making better use out of SR 167’s former HOV lanes, which were underused.
In April road crews finished the double solid white line striping for the HOT lanes along nine miles of SR 167 between Renton and Auburn. With relatively light traffic on SR 167 Saturday morning, the first toll charged in the HOT lane was 50 cents, the minimum amount in a tolling price range set by the state Transportation Commission. While Saturday’s opening went smoothly, some motorists are still adjusting to the new look and rules of HOT lanes. State Patrol troopers were on hand all day to monitor the lanes, provide information and write tickets for drivers who cross the double white line separating the HOT lane from the general purpose lanes.
South King County motorists who frequently drive SR 167 continue to open new Good To Go! accounts in order to receive an electronic tolling transponder that works on HOT lanes, the Narrows Bridge and any future tolling of state roadway. Much like the former HOV lanes on SR 167, HOT lanes are toll-free for carpools of two people or more, vanpools, buses and motorcycles with no transponder required. They operate on the same schedule as HOV lanes, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
HOT lanes are the latest example of WSDOT’s three-point plan for curbing congestion which includes adding new road space where it makes the most sense, offering travelers and commuters more choices to reduce traffic demand and making the state’s existing highways as efficient as possible, which is where HOT lanes come in.
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Maintenance & Operations Feature - Adopt-a-Highway groups keep state highways clean
Members of the Camas-Washougal Aviation Association's Adopt-A-Highway group pick up litter from along SR 500 in Clark County. |
On such a beautiful spring morning, Allen Toedter could be flying into the wild blue yonder. Instead, the professional pilot kept both feet on the ground and organized a group of over 18 volunteers from the Camas-Washougal Aviation Association to clean up two miles of SR 500 in Fern Prairie.
Toedter and his crew are part of WSDOT's Adopt-A-Highway (AAH) program. They have voluntarily adopted a two-mile stretch of SR 500 on each side of the Port of Camas-Washougal Airport and have dedicated themselves to clearing the roadsides of litter twice a year. In return for their time and effort, WSDOT posts an AAH sign with the Association’s name in their adopted area.
The program is a way for the Association to “give back to the community and show our appreciation” for being able to have the airport in the middle of a residential area, said Toedter.
On April 26, the group donned their hard hats and orange vests and set out a little after 9 a.m. A friendly competition is in the works – whoever finds the “best” litter item wins a prize. In two hours, they pick up nearly two dozen bags of trash and find items like a little girl’s scooter, an animal skull, golf balls and some DVDs. All of the trash is taken back to the airport for pickup by one of the WSDOT's Southwest Region Maintenance crews. The group could leave the trash bags on the roadside, but bringing everything back to one location “is definitely that extra step we like doing,” said Toedter’s wife Kirsten.
Statewide, WSDOT coordinates a volunteer army of 1,400 groups. During 2006, litter picked up by Adopt-a-Highway groups, Department of Ecology Youth Corps and others totalled 6,540,444 pounds, which WSDOT disposed of at a cost of $2 million.
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Update of projects under way
SR 8, SR 109, & U.S. 101, Grays Harbor, W. Jefferson, & Clallam counties - This $1.3 million project will make safety improvements at 27 sites on SR 8, US 101 and SR 109 by installing guard rail, flattening slopes, or grading ditches. On SR 8, between Elma and the Thurston County line, continuous shoulder rumble strips will be installed on the median and outside shoulders. Work should be completed by the end of September.
SR 25 Northport - Contractor crews will begin resurfacing work on May 5 for a section of SR 25 in Stevens County. This project will pave nearly 27 miles of roadway beginning at Bossburg Road, passing through the town of Northport, and extending north to the Canadian border. In addition, safety items such as guardrail, signing, and striping will be brought up to current standards. The project should be fully completed by early August.
SR 525 Clinton - Crews began safety improvements near the Clinton ferry dock on SR 525 on April 28. Work includes paving, installing a small section of sidewalk, improving access for people with disabilities and improving signs and lane markings. Crews will pave from the ferry dock to Bob Galbreath Road to protect and preserve the roadway. Paving work is not likely to begin until after Memorial Day due to cool nighttime temperatures. Crews will pave the short section of highway at night to reduce delays for drivers, but they will need about five nights of dry weather and temperatures above 50 degrees.
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Announcements
Gov. Gregoire announces solution for long-term Port Townsend/Keystone ferry service
On April 28, Gov. Chris Gregoire announced that WSDOT will move forward with construction of two 64-car Island Home style vessels and will not build a smaller 50-car vessel. WSDOT no longer plans to build a 50-car Steilacoom II style vessel, which was originally intended to fill the gap in service until the two Island Homes were built. Instead, WSDOT reached agreement with Pierce County to extend the lease on one of the County’s ferries until new vessels can be built for the route.
The Steilacoom II will return to Pierce County in September 2008 and its sister ship, the 50-car Christine Anderson, will serve the Port Townsend/Keystone route until the first new Island Home style ferry is ready for service in spring 2010. WSDOT is working toward building five new ferries – three 144-car vessels and two new 64-car Island Home style vessels. The design and construction of five boats nearly simultaneously is a first for the state’s ferry system in more than 30 years. The state will advance the advertisements of the Island Home-style construction to July 2008. The first vessel will be completed by spring 2010, with the second vessel following in fall 2010. The Island Home is a ferry operated by the Nantucket Steamship Company in Massachusetts.
Additional trips added to Port Townsend/Keystone ferry schedule beginning Sunday, May 11
WSDOT Ferries Division is adding sailings to the Port Townsend-Keystone ferry schedule beginning Sunday, May 11 and continuing through the peak summer season until October 13. The additional sailings are scheduled for Thursday through Sunday evenings and Monday mornings to help accommodate heavy peak season traffic. Vehicle and passenger capacity is temporarily reduced until new vessels are built for the route. The route will be served by one 50-car vessel, the Steilacoom II, sailing every 90 minutes.
In addition to the current schedule, WSDOT/WSF will add: One round trip on Thursday evenings; two round trips on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings; and one round trip early Monday mornings.
SR 20 - North Cascades Highway Opens
WSDOT's maintenance crew swung open the gates for the North Cascades Highway (SR 20) at 8 a.m. May 1, right on our estimated schedule. The first drivers in line when the gates opened found bare road conditions with temperatures at the summits of Rainy (4,855) and Washington (5,477) passes right around freezing.
Crews started the clearing effort six weeks ago, on March 24th. East and west side crews met near Rainy Pass on Monday. April 28. Widening and cutting safety pull out areas and monitoring stability of the new snow that fell over the past three days, kept crews busy until the gates opened.
Twisp Maintenance Supervisor Don Becker said, “We always plan for some equipment breakdowns, and weather delays, and we got some, but nothing that seriously held up the clearing process. It was the crew that played the biggest part in keeping the schedule. Their work was outstanding”. Becker, who has directed the reopening effort for the past 13 years said, “Every year is different, but the crew was committed to getting the road open by the first of May.”
State Route 20 closed last December 4th due to avalanches. The highway is closed at milepost 134, near Diablo on the west side of Rainy Pass to milepost 171 east of Washington Pass, each winter.
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Gray Notebook Highlight - Integrated Vegetation Management
The goal of WSDOT's Integrated Vegetation Management program is to create and support roadside plant communities which benefit the environment and enhance safe highway operations. When crews improve the soil and establish native plants, ongoing roadside maintenance requirements can be relatively low. In 2007, WSDOT's statewide herbicide use for roadside maintenance decreased by 20 percent from 2006. The majority of this reduction comes from decreasing our reliance on annual spraying of a vegetation-free strip along the edge of pavement. Prior to 2004, when this shift in practice began, the maintenance of a vegetation-free strip along the edge of the pavement accounted for over 60 percent of all herbicide use. More details on this topic and other key issues can be found in the December 2007 Gray Notebook at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/accountability.
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May open houses, meetings and events
8, Thursday, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m., Stakeholder Advisory Committee meeting, Alaskan Way Viaduct - Seattle: The Washington State, King County and Seattle department of transportation formed that Stakeholder Advisory Committee as a way to engage key interest groups, listen to ideas, and conduct a transparent public involvement process for the central waterfront project. Meetings are open to the public. This additional meeting is scheduled to ensure all materials are covered: Location: Seattle Center, Northwest Rooms, Fidalgo Room, 305 Harrison Street, Seattle.
8, Thursday, 5 - 7 p.m., Public Hearing, SR 522 Snohomish River Bridge to US 2 Widening Project - Monroe: WSDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will hold an informal public hearing for the SR 522 Snohomish River Bridge (Cathcart Road) to US 2 Widening project and the recently completed environmental assessment. Exhibits will be on display, providing an overview of the proposed widening. The project team will give a brief presentation at 5:15 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. Public comments are valuable to WSDOT and FHWA, and a court reporter will be on hand to take written and verbal statements. Location: Monroe High School, 17001 Tester Road, Monroe.
8, Thursday, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., Open house, Central Waterfront - Seattle: WSDOT, King County and the City of Seattle will hold a series of open houses in May. Learn the latest information about work done since January to develop options for the viaduct along the central waterfront, including strategies discussed for I-5, surface streets, SR 99 and transit. At each meeting, program staff will be available to answer questions and discuss project updates. We have also set aside time for public comments. Meeting information for this and other upcoming public events can be found at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct/Calendar.htm.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Weekly Report Archive
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