A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Project of the Week - It’s crunch time on I-405: Removing the Wilburton Tunnel paves the way for major roadway improvements
The I-405 Wilburton Tunnel in south Bellevue will soon be "history" as crews prepare to demolish it to make room for two additional freeway lanes. Photo by: "Big Picture Photography" David Johanson Vasquez |
The Wilburton Tunnel is coming down in August to make room for more southbound I-405 lanes in south Bellevue. For several weeks, crews have removed dirt and vegetation from the tunnel to prepare for the demolition. The tunnel removal is part of the I-405 South Bellevue Widening Project.
To remove the tunnel, crews will completely close southbound I-405 from SE 8th Street to I-90 for three consecutive weekends in August. These lane closures will allow construction crews to efficiently and safely remove the Wilburton Tunnel to make room for two additional freeway lanes and improvements to the I-405/I-90 interchange.
Many have driven through the tunnel without even realizing it. So, where and what exactly is the Wilburton Tunnel? Built in 1972, the tunnel is located just north of the I-405/I-90 interchange and is approximately 360 feet long and 70 feet wide.
Though a seemingly small tunnel—demolition numbers are surprisingly large:
- The total weight of debris being moved from the Wilburton Tunnel is equivalent to the weight of 14 Statue of Liberties.
- 20 million pounds (10,000 tons) of concrete will be crunched into smaller chunks and hauled away—equivalent to the weight of three Space Needles.
- 1.5 million pounds of rebar will be extracted. This is equivalent to the weight of four Boeing 747 airplanes.
- Six hydraulic excavators with specialty attachments (concrete crunchers, breakers and “bucket and thumb”) will crunch the tunnel and help remove debris.
- One crane with a 10,000 pound wrecking ball will work from the west side of the tunnel.
In just a few weeks the tunnel will be gone, but a part of it will live on. The dirt removed from its top and sides will potentially be used in other areas of the I-405 South Bellevue Widening Project. Some of the dirt will be used south of the Wilburton Tunnel location for the approach to the new I-405 bridge over I-90.
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Maintenance & Operations Feature - WSDOT holds second annual Safety Stand Down
Secretary Hammond and executive staff brought their safety message to WSDOT employees in a live Webcast broadcast to 100 locations statewide. |
WSDOT Secretary Paula Hammond and her executive staff delivered their safety message and expectations with WSDOT staff on July 23. The live Webcast was broadcast to more than 100 WSDOT locations statewide. Noting that employees are WSDOT's most valuable resource, Hammond challenged employees to prepare pre-activity safety plans and recognize hazards in their own workplaces and workspaces. Recognizing these hazards will prevent injuries before they happen.
"Zero is possible," Hammond said, recognizing the WSDOT goal of Zero Injuries by 2020. Hammond highlighted the 527 WSDOT organizations with zero injuries in fiscal year (FY) 2008. She also stated that WSDOT did not meet its FY 08 safety goal, but noted how the number and cost of claims has decreased, along with missed work and restricted duties days. Labor and Industry injury claims have decreased from $6.28 million in 2004 to $2.06 million in 2007. "We are going in the right direction," Hammond said, encouraging all employees to keep up their commitment to safety.
The 2008 safety goals were to reduce injuries by 50 percent (a target 231 injuries) from a FY 06 baseline of 466 recorded injuries. A total of 396 injuries were recorded in FY 2008. For 2009, WSDOT's goal is a 60 percent reduction from the FY 06 baseline. Hammond congratulated WSDOT's Southwest (Vancouver) and Eastern (Spokane) regions, who both met their 2008 regional goal.
Joining Paula on stage were Deputy Secretary Dave Dye, Ferries Chief David Moseley, Engineering Chief Jerry Lenzi, and Chris Christopher, Co-Director of Maintenance and Operations. The group emphasized the commitment to reduce our agency's rate of hearing loss and sprains and strains, the two categories that make up the majority of WSDOT worker injuries.
This year, employees’ strategies for safety were highlighted through videos of workers from across the state who instituted safety solutions in their workplace. Many of these were low-cost solutions that have saved WSDOT in lower injury rates and fewer missed work days.
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Update of projects under way
US 2 Spokane - Contractor crews will begin preservation work on July 28 on the US 2 Deep Creek Bridge in western Spokane County. Crews will replace the deteriorated bridge rail and then grind out the existing asphalt surface and repave the deck. To keep motorists and workers safe, a reduced speed of 30 mph will be in place through the work zone. Trucks with loads wider than 11 ft. will be detoured around the project site via Brooks Road, San Salvador Road, and Espanola Road. The project should be completed by early October.
I-5 Seattle - During the week of July 28 crews working for WSDOT will begin building noise walls along I-5 in Seattle’s Eastlake and Roanoke Park neighborhoods. Crews will install three walls, two on the west side of the freeway and one on the east. The walls are being built between the Ship Canal Bridge and the Boylston Avenue E. on-ramp to southbound I-5. This project will help reduce traffic noise for residents living along one of the busiest stretches of freeway in the state.
I-5 Everett - Now that crews are finished widening I-5 through Everett, they have shifted their attention to repairing a dozen expansion joints on I-5 between Marine View Drive and 41st Street. The 40-year-old expansion joints become a danger to passing vehicles when plates loosen and bolts pop up. The failing joints also leak, risking corrosion to bridge foundations. In addition to the expansion joint repair, drivers can expect minor work to continue through summer as crews install curbing, place guardrail and add reflective markers.
US 101 Shelton - For years the US 101 Purdy Creek Bridge has been plagued by floods that damage the roadway, often requiring crews to close the highway for repairs. A project that builds a new Purdy Creek Bridge approximately 12.5 feet higher than the existing span started July 21. Raising and lengthening the bridge will allow floodwaters to pass beneath the span, keeping the highway open and traffic moving. This $9.75 million project replaces the existing timber-trestle bridge, built in 1932, with a concrete structure that offers wider lanes and shoulders, increasing safety for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians. About 7,000 vehicles a day cross the bridge. Completion is scheduled for winter 2009.
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Announcements
Sammamish River Trail segment closed for one month under SR 522 in Bothell
Crews working for WSDOT have closed a segment of the Sammamish River bicycle/pedestrian trail under SR 522 near the University of Washington Bothell/Cascadia Community College Campus. The month-long closure is necessary so crews can begin widening the SR 522 bridges and build a new southern entrance to the college campus.
“We have to close the trail at this location to protect bicyclist and pedestrian safety. The work zone is directly beside the trail. Heavy construction equipment and falling steel debris poses a serious risk to trail users," said Project Engineer Janice Fahning. This 30-day closure is the first scheduled, but trail users should be aware that there will be a total of 90 closure days throughout the project duration.
I-5 and WSDOT’s maintenance budget hit again by wire thieves
WSDOT signals crew members re-lived an all-too-common experience last week when they discovered more wire stolen on I-5 in Tacoma. Sometime over the week of July 21, thieves stole over 6,000 feet of wire that lights the on-and-off ramps on I-5 at 72nd Street. Crews arrived to find open junction boxes with no sign of the stolen wire or thieves nearby.
This is the 96th wire theft in WSDOT’s Olympic Region which covers Pierce, Thurston, Kitsap, Grays Harbor, Clallam, Jefferson, and Mason Counties. The wire stolen from the seven-county area, if laid end-to-end, would equal 315 football fields. Statewide, wire theft replacement costs have reached over a half-million dollars, adding to the budget shortfall caused by the unusually harsh winter earlier this year. Along with budget impacts, wire theft jeopardizes motorist safety when traffic signals are disabled or lighting along highways goes dark.
The public can help by notifying law enforcement of any suspicious activity they see along the roadway by dialing 9-1-1. Anyone with information regarding wire theft is encouraged to call WSDOT’s toll-free anonymous tip line at 1-866-976-WIRE.
WSDOT Ferries Division continues biodiesel testing with fueling of Klahowya
WSDOT's Ferries Division began operating its third vessel – Klahowya – with a biodiesel fuel blend on July 19. The Klahowya is operating on a five percent blend (B5) of tallow-based biodiesel and ultra-low sulfur diesel (95 percent). The Klahowya fueling is part of the Biodiesel Research and Demonstration Project, a scientific pilot test of biodiesel in the marine environment. The ferry system began the testing phase of the project in March with the fueling of the Issaquah using a five percent blend of soy-based biodiesel. In April, the vessel Tillikum began running on a five percent blend of canola-based biodiesel.
In addition to testing different types of biodiesel, the ferry system is testing different blend percentages. Initially the boats are fueled with a five percent blend of biodiesel. As the demonstration progresses, biodiesel blends are increased to a 10 percent (B10), followed by a 20 percent blend (B20). The Issaquah is currently running on a 20 percent (B20) blend of biodiesel. There have been no problems in the vessel’s operational performance running on biodiesel so far. The Tillikum’s increase to a 10 percent biodiesel blend has been delayed due to sludge accumulation in the vessel’s fuel purifier. Researchers at the University of Idaho – a project partner – are analyzing samples to determine the source of the sludge on this particular vessel.
Biodiesel testing is expected to continue until February 2009. Testing results will be used to create a published document guiding the marine industry in the use of biodiesel.
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Gray Notebook Highlight - Washington State Ferries customer feedback
WSDOT's Ferries Division monitors customer complaints, comments and compliments in order to evaluate its service within 26 categories. The department uses a ratio to measure the number of service complaints per 100,000 customers. This measure is used to make accurate performance comparisons over time and against other transportation service providers. In the third quarter of 2008, WSDOT had an average of 9.6 complaints per 100,000 customers. There were 470 complaints made during this period, a 43% increase over the previous quarter (6.9 complaints per 100,000 customers), but a 21 percent decrease from the same quarter in 2007 (11.8 complaints per 100,000 customers.) The main increase in complaints was attributed to concerns about less frequent service on the Fauntleroy - Vashon - Southworth route and on-time performance on the Seattle - Bremerton route. 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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July open houses, meetings, and events
29, Tuesday, 5 - 7:30 p.m., Open house, SR 520 Tolling Implementation Committee - Bothell: The SR 520 Tolling Implementation Committee is holding a series of open houses for the public to hear about and comment on tolling as a means to help pay for a new SR 520 Bridge across Lake Washington. Committee members will discuss tolling options under consideration. Location: US Bothell North Creek Events Center, 11125 NE 180th St., Bothell.
July 30, 10 a.m. - noon, Ground breaking, SR 704 Cross-base Highway, Spanaway: WSDOT, local officials and the project contractor will gather to mark the beginning of construction for the first segment of the SR 704 Cross-base Highway, which connects Spanaway Loop to SR 7. Location: Pacific Commons Shopping Center parking lot, SR 7 at 176th Street, Spanaway.
31, Thursday, 5 - 7:30 p.m., Open house, SR 520 Tolling Implementation Committee - Renton: The SR 520 Tolling Implementation Committee is holding a series of open houses for the public to hear about and comment on tolling as a means to help pay for a new SR 520 Bridge across Lake Washington. Committee members will discuss tolling options under consideration. Location: Spirit of Washington Events Center, 233 Burnett Ave. S, Renton.
Express Lane Archive
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