A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Project of the Week - I-205 – Mill Plain Exit – NE 112th Connector
Crews began clearing work along I-205 for a new freeway ramp to NE 112th Ave in Vancouver. WSDOT engineers expect the new ramp will ease congestion and reduce collisions. |
Contractor crews began moving dirt June 9 for a partnership project aimed at reducing congestion and improving safety at the I-205/Mill Plain Boulevard Interchange in Vancouver.
The I-205 – Mill Plain Exit – NE 112th Connector Project will build a direct connection from northbound I-205 to NE 112th Avenue. This will allow motorists to bypass the Mill Plain Boulevard/Chkalov Drive intersection, the site of numerous collisions. Crews will build a new bridge over the 112th Connector to replace the existing northbound I-205 on-ramp.
WSDOT is partnering with the City of Vancouver to build this $16 million project. This is one piece in a series of strategic improvements to the I-205 freeway ramp network planned for over a decade. Eventually, it will link with the I-205 – Mill Plain Interchange to 18th Street Project, scheduled for completion in 2014.
“The city is very pleased,” said Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard at a May 28 groundbreaking event. “(This project was) a long time coming and our citizens should be very happy. Thank you for what you’re doing and good luck, and let’s get going,” Pollard added.
WSDOT took the Mayor’s motivating statement to heart and got right to work. Currently, the contractor is clearing land for a new, temporary on-ramp for northbound I-205 traffic to use while the bridge is being built. Once the bridge is finished, traffic will be diverted over the work area via the new bridge while the 112th connector is constructed underneath. Project work is scheduled for completion in 2010.
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Maintenance & Operations Feature - Avalanche team switches gears in summer
Large boulders along US 2 on Stevens Pass are wired with explosives that will break them into smaller, more easily removable chunks. |
We all have an idea of what WSDOT's Avalanche Control Teams do all winter, but what happens when the weather finally turns warm?
Stevens Pass avalanche supervisor, Marty Schmoker has been busy the last two weeks blowing up large rocks that rolled down to the shoulders of US 2. They were too big for our maintenance equipment to remove, so Schmoker put his explosives expertise to use. “Making little rocks out of big ones,” is part of our work every spring, says Schmoker.
Other summer projects include maintenance that can’t be done in the winter. These maintenance activities keep equipment in good working order – everything from weather stations, remote controlled avalanche blasters, recoilless rifles, M-60 tanks - and then there’s paperwork.
Here’s how Snoqualmie Pass avalanche forecaster John Stimberis sees the next 10 weeks before “winter” starts again: “One weather station has been out of communication all winter, so I'll try to get that one going again. We are also looking at replacing our 105mm recoilless rifle with a tank. Our goals are to improve worker safety and greatly reduce the amount of traffic delay when artillery control is needed. Mike Stanford, Stevens Pass avalanche forecaster, and I hope to get our avalanche atlas updated and moved into the 21st century- a transition from paper maps to GIS."
WSDOT's avalanche crewmembers are recognized for their expertise and over the summer will be sharing information about their program with others. One event includes two presentations for the International Snow Science Workshop (ISSW). They also tell their story to the public – Mike Stanford addressed 300+ Good Sam Club members in Moses Lake earlier this month. They’re scheduled to give avalanche safety training classes – often including the state troopers who have been assigned to patrol the passes for the coming winter. This fall, they'll return with their avalanche control display to the Western Washington Fair in Puyallup.
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Update of projects under way
US 2 Baring - A project to repair three miles of pavement on US 2 between Forest Service Road east of Baring and the Money Creek Tunnel east of Grotto began June 16. In addition to the pavement repair work, crews will enhance driver safety by installing guardrail and center-line rumble strips. The rumble strips will be located between the eastbound and westbound lanes. They will help prevent crossover collisions by alerting drivers with a loud vibration if they drift into the median area.
SR 9 Snohomish - On June 16, state and local officials joined community members to kick off WSDOT’s latest congestion relief project on SR 9 in Snohomish County. Crews will widen SR 9 between Snohomish and Clearview. The population of Snohomish County increased by 80 percent between 1980 and 2000 and traffic volumes in this area have increased nearly 40 percent. This section of SR 9 currently carries an average of 20,000 vehicles each day. WSDOT is more than a third of the way through the 90-mile long plan to increase capacity and improve safety on SR 9 through three counties.
US 12 Yakima - WSDOT and contractor, Scarsella Brothers Inc., have begun preliminary work to move roughly 2,700 ft of the Naches River away from the westbound lanes on US 12 near the 16th Avenue on-ramp in Yakima. In March 2007, WSDOT made temporary repairs after flood waters from the Naches River increased bank erosion along the westbound lanes of US 12. WSDOT and Scarsella Brothers have come up with a long-term fix to keep the river from washing out the roadway. On June 25, crews will use heavy machinery and 30,000 tons of rock, to create a man-made log and rock structure. The logs and rocks will deflect the river away from the roadway, and create a protective habitat for fish making their way down the river.
SR 526 Mukilteo - On June 16, WSDOT and contractor Granite Northwest Inc. began work to repave three miles of highway and complete safety improvements to State Route 526 in Mukilteo. This is the first time that SR 526 has been permanently resurfaced since its original construction in 1968. As part of this project, crews will pave both directions of SR 526 from 40th Ave. W to 5th Ave. W, and the eastbound lanes from 5th Ave. W to Casino Road. Crews will also replace median guardrail with concrete barrier, update signing and pavement markings, replace traffic signals, upgrade lighting and replace a sign bridge. This $10 million project is scheduled for completion in summer 2009.
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Announcements
WSDOT Ferries Division begins summer schedule June 22
WSDOT Ferries Division launches its summer 2008 ferry schedule on Sunday, June 22, with additional vessels, sailings and service hours on the more popular tourism routes. The increased service levels will help locals and tourists alike take summer trips to the San Juan Islands, Whidbey Island, and Vashon Island. The summer schedule runs through Sept. 27. For the first two weeks of summer schedule, overall vehicle capacity on the San Juan Islands routes will be less than the usual summer capacity.
For the first two weeks of summer schedule, vehicle capacity on the San Juan Islands routes will be less than it normally is at this time of year. Due to WSDOT’s ongoing vessel maintenance efforts, a larger vessel will not be available to serve the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route from the beginning of summer schedule until July 7.
Richland community celebrates expanded park & ride
On June 20, Ben Franklin Transit and WSDOT officials invited local officials, business leaders, and citizens to help celebrate the newly expanded Columbia Park Trail Park and Ride in Richland. As vanpool ridership continues to grow for Ben Franklin Transit, demand for parking at the original park and ride location exceeded the available space. Ben Franklin Transit collaborated with WSDOT and using a $300,000 Regional Mobility Grant and local transit funds, they constructed the expanded park and ride. The project more than doubled the 104 parking spaces to 250 parking spaces.
The WSDOT Regional Mobility Grant program was funded at $20 million for the 2005-07 biennium and at $40 million in the 2007-09 biennium. The 2009-11 biennium call for projects will be in August 2008. The state’s Regional Mobility Grant Program works to improve the coordination of transit services and to increase the use of transit to reduce congestion.
The public has its say: ‘Move forward with South Point to Lofall’
After careful review of both water shuttle route options and almost 4,000 survey responses, WSDOT is moving forward with plans to use the South Point to Lofall route during the upcoming May-June 2009 Hood Canal bridge closure. While there are drivers who wanted the Port Ludlow to Kingston water shuttle route, the preferred option proved to be a water shuttle from South Point to Lofall. When construction expenses and closure-related costs for the community – in terms of time and dollars – were calculated for the two options, the net difference was about $1 million.
Nearly 4,000 survey responses were received, with 42 percent saying that South Point to Lofall met user needs better. The proposal for Port Ludlow-Kingston garnered support from 32 percent of respondents. Twenty-six percent indicated neither option would help them during the closure. Survey respondents said that their top priority is a reliable crossing schedule and their top concern is being inconvenienced or late. The South Point to Lofall option addresses these issues by using two boats to maintain a 20-minute schedule and 40-minute service even with one boat.
The Hood Canal Bridge retrofit and replacement project will take place from May-June 2009 and will improve the existing structure, making it wider, safer and more reliable.
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Gray Notebook Highlight - Capital Project Delivery
Each quarter, WSDOT provides a detailed update on the delivery of the highway capital programs, which includes the 2003 Nickel and 2005 Transportation Partnership Account (TPA) projects. Since 2003, we have delivered a combined total of 129 Nickel and TPA projects for $1.298 billion, almost $6 million less than the $1.304 billion legislative budget. As of March 31, 2008, more than half of the projects funded by Nickel and TPA were either under construction or completed. For the 129 Nickel and TPA completed projects, 91% of the combined projects are early or on-time, and 84% are under or on-budget - down one percent from last quarter. For the quarter ending March 31, 85 Nickel and TPA projects were either under construction or advertised for construction. Details on this topic and other key issues can be found in the March 2008 Gray Notebook at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/accountability.
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June open houses, meetings and events
23, Monday, 6:30 - 9 p.m., Ferry Advisory Committee Meeting - Bainbridge Island: WSDOT's Ferry Division is holding a public meeting to share information regarding the recent legislative ferry financing study and to hear customer's comments related to this ferry route. Location: Bainbridge Commons, 402 Brien Drive, Bainbridge Island.
24, Tuesday, 4 - 7 p.m., Open house, SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Project: WSDOT's project team will host an open house to share information about progress toward building a new SR 520. Project team members, and agency and community representatives will answer questions about the project and share the latest information about opening the new bridge in 2014, designing the new corridor, and commuting across Lake Washington. There will be a presentation at 5:30 p.m. Location: Naval Reserve Building - Lake Union Park, 860 Terry Avenue N (at Valley Street), Seattle.
24, Tuesday, 4:30 - 7 p.m., Open house, I-5 Conway to Cook Master Plan: WSDOT's project team will hold an open house to discuss recent results from the I-5 Conway to Cook Master Plan study. The long-term goal of the master plan is to improve safety along an 11-mile stretch of I-5 from Conway (exit 221) to Cook Road (exit 232) in Skagit County. This is an opportunity to talk directly with project engineers, learn about potential safety improvements, ask questions and voice concerns in an informal setting. Location: Burlington Public Library, 820 E. Washington Avenue, Burlington.
24, Tuesday, 6:30 - 9 p.m., Ferry Advisory Committee Meeting - Kingston: WSDOT's Ferry Division is holding a public meeting to share information regarding the recent legislative ferry financing study and to hear customer's comments related to this ferry route. Location: Kingston Yacht Club, 25915 Washington Blvd, Kingston.
25, Wednesday, 4 - 7 p.m., Open house, SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Project: WSDOT's project team will host an open house to share information about progress toward building a new SR 520. Project team members, and agency and community representatives will answer questions about the project and share the latest information about opening the new bridge in 2014, designing the new corridor, and commuting across Lake Washington. There will be a presentation at 5:30 p.m. Location: Bellevue City Hall, 450 - 110th Avenue NE, Bellevue.
25, Wednesday, 6:30 - 9 p.m., Ferry Advisory Committee Meeting - Vashon Island: WSDOT's Ferry Division is holding a public meeting to share information regarding the recent legislative ferry financing study and to hear customer's comments related to this ferry route. Location: McMurray Middle School, 9329 SW Cemetery Rd., Vashon Island.
26, Thursday, 2:30 - 5 p.m., Ferry Advisory Committee Meeting - San Juan Island: WSDOT's Ferry Division is holding a public meeting to share information regarding the recent legislative ferry financing study and to hear customer's comments related to this ferry route. Location: Mullis Senior Center, 589 Nash Street, Friday Harbor.
26, Thursday, 4 - 6:30 p.m., Open house, Pt. Defiance Rail Bypass - Lakewood: WSDOT's rail office staff will hold an open house to share information about the rail bypass project, which will allow Amtrak Cascades to provide faster and more reliable passenger service. Location: Lakewood Fire Station 20, 10928 Pacific Highway SW, Lakewood.
26, Thursday, 4:30 - 7 p.m., Open house, I-5 Fairhaven to Slater Master Plan: WSDOT's project team will hold an open house to discuss recent results from the I-5 Fairhaven to Slater Master Plan study. The long-term goal of the master plan is to improve safety along a 10-mile stretch of I-5 from Fairhaven (exit 250) to Slater Road (exit 260) in Whatcom County. This is an opportunity to talk directly with project engineers, learn about potential safety improvements, ask questions and voice concerns in an informal setting. Location: Kulshan Middle School, 1250 Kenoyer St., Bellingham.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Express Lane Archive
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