A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Project of the Week - WSDOT kicks off SR 16 project to build new interchange
WSDOT kicked off construction for an interchange that will replace this intersection on SR 16 at Burley Olalla Road in Kitsap County. |
The message of safety resonated loudly at Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony for a $24.3 million project that builds new bridges on SR 16 and new ramps to and from Burley Olalla Road in Kitsap County. WSDOT officials, alongside Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste and Judy Oke, widow of former state senator Bob Oke and other state and local officials broke ground with shovels.
Safety is WSDOT’s number one priority and replacing this intersection demonstrates the agency’s commitment to make roads safe for drivers. This intersection received interim safety improvements in 2004, but movements were restricted and drivers continued to cross the median to enter the highway. When complete in August 2010, all movements will be restored and safety will drastically improve with new on- and off- ramps.
The two-year closure of Burley Olalla Road, which began Monday Aug. 4, marked the beginning of construction. The closure keeps workers and drivers safe in the work zone during the project.
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Maintenance & Operations feature - Instant Tow Program gets traffic moving quickly
The Instant Tow Program allows WSDOT and WSP to clear blocking vehicles from the freeway quickly. |
Washington State Patrol (WSP) and WSDOT are partnering to clear freeways more quickly in Pierce and Thurston counties. They have implemented an "Instant Tow Program" that will allow dispatchers to call for a tow as soon as they spot a blocking problem on one of WSDOT's traffic cameras or receive more than two 9-1-1 reports of a blocked lane from motorists.
Prior to the implementation of this program, dispatchers had to wait for a trooper to arrive at the scene to verify a tow was needed - and only then could they request a tow. That meant that traffic would continue to backup behind the blocked lane until the trooper arrived - and an additional delay while the tow truck made its way through a congested freeway. Blocked lanes increase the risk of a secondary collision occurring in the backup as drivers brake suddenly for slow traffic ahead.
WSDOT estimates 15 minutes are saved with the Instant Tow Program. Operators in WSDOT's Traffic Management Center in Tacoma will assist WSDOT dispatchers by monitoring our traffic cameras and alerting WSP dispatchers to any blocking disabled vehicles or collisions they see.
The Instant Tow Program is already in place in King and Snohomish counties.
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Update of projects under way
US 2 Index - On Aug. 5, crews working to improve safety on US 2 near Index began building a rock and gravel buttress to stabilize the embankment under the highway. In order to secure the foundation of the buttress, crews are using explosives to blast a 300-foot-long notch into the bedrock layer 35 to 40 feet below and 100 feet south of the roadway. During the work, drivers can expect highway closures of up to 20 minutes near Sunset Falls, just east of Index, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. Blasting work will continue through the month of August.
SR 20 Whidbey Island - Paving is finally complete on SR 20 on the Sidney to Scenic Heights project on Whidbey Island. During the week of August 4, crews were striping the roadway. Over the next few weeks, crews will continue working in the area on several sections of sidewalk and paving the remainder of the driveway ends.
SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge - On Aug. 1, the last of the Hood Canal Bridge east-half’s new pontoons were successfully floated out of Concrete Technology Corporation (CTC) in Tacoma. The operation moves the project past the 80 percent completion mark and keeps WSDOT on track for the May-June 2009 east half bridge replacement. This culminated nearly two and half years of work since the project’s first pontoon concrete pour in April 2006. More than 29,000 yards of concrete have been placed and 14 new bridge pontoons have been constructed at CTC. With the final float out complete, pontoon efforts will shift to outfitting and assembly in preparation for the May-June 2009 bridge closure.
SR 506 Vader - WSDOT will close the west end of SR 506 starting at Telegraph Road (milepost 8) for one week in August. Beginning Monday, August 18 through Sunday, August 24, the complete closure will allow WSDOT maintenance workers to safely repair and resurface the bridge over Lacamas Creek. Over the last few years, maintenance crews have patched up portions of the damaged pavement surface, resulting in a rough and unsteady ride in need of a total resurfacing. Detours will be in place during the closure.
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Announcements
90-car Sealth to temporarily replace the 144-car Elwha on Anacortes/San Juan Islands route
WSDOT Ferries Division moved the 90-car ferry Sealth on August 6 to Anacortes, replacing the 144-car Elwha while repairs are made to the Elwha’s propulsion system. At 8:00 a.m., Aug. 6, the Elwha temporarily lost steering due to a problem with the propulsion control system. The vessel resumed use of the propulsion system on one end and was able to make it to Anacortes under its own power. The Elwha is out of service until later this week while repairs to the propulsion control cooling system are made. Because the Sealth holds fewer cars than the Elwha, customers should arrive early and expect more overloads.
I-405 drivers: Pack your patience in the weeks ahead
The first of three weekend closures on I-405 in Belleuve started 11 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 8, with reopening sschedule for 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 11. Crews completely closed southbound I-405 and several ramps in Bellevue between SE 8th Street and the I-405/I-90 interchange to begin removing the Wilburton Tunnel. Southbound I-405 will also be closed for the following two weekends:
- 11 p.m., Friday, Aug. 15 to 5 a.m., Monday, Aug. 18
- 11 p.m., Friday, Aug. 22 to 5 a.m., Monday, Aug. 25
“Our traffic experts predict back-ups could reach up to 13 miles if people don’t alter their weekend travel plans,” said I-405 Deputy Project Director Stacy Trussler. “Even with reduced travel, drivers should give themselves two extra hours to get around the region. If you need to travel, do it early or late in the day, and leave plenty of time.”
Also on Friday night to Sunday afternoon (Aug. 8 - 10) crews closed the southbound SR 167 to southbound I-405 ramp and one to two lanes on southbound I-405 between SR 169 and SR 181. During the lane and ramp closures crews shifted traffic onto the new southbound I-405 bridge over Oakesdale Avenue SW and Springbrook Creek in Renton.
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Gray Notebook highlight - Incident Clearance Times
WSDOT's Incident Response (IR) program operates roving units that quickly and safely clear traffic incidents on the state's busiest highways. During the first quarter of 2008, IR responded to 11,686 incidents - that's a 13 percent decrease from the same quarter in 2007. The average clearance reporting time for the first quarter of 2008 was 14 minutes. For the first quarter of 2008, IR responded to 33 fatality collisions, a 10 percent increase from the same quarter of 2007. The average clearance time for fatality incidents during this period was 180 minutes. More details on this topic and other key issues can be found in the May 2008 Gray Notebook at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/accountability.
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August open houses, meetings and events
NOTE: This meeting has been postponed until November
12, Tuesday, 4 - 7 p.m., Open house, SR 500, St. Johns Boulevard - Vancouver: Project staff are holding an open house to share information about the SR 500 St. Johns Boulevard Interchange Project with community members. This project will replace the current signalized intersection at State Route 500 and St. Johns Boulevard in Vancouver with a freeway-style interchange. Location: Washington Elementary School, 2908 "S" Street, Vancouver.
12, Tuesday, 6 - 8 p.m., Advisory Committee meeting, SR 99 Aurora Bridge Fence - Seattle: WSDOT is designing a fence to deter people from jumping from the Aurora Bridge. WSDOT staff will host a meeting of the SR 99 Aurora Bridge Fence Advisory Committee. WSDOT formed the committee to reflect the interests of community, business and government groups during development of fence designs. Each meeting includes time for public comment. Location: Seattle Pacific University, Otto Miller Hall, Room 109, 3469 Third Avenue W., Seattle.
14, Thursday, 5 - 6:30 p.m., Public meeting, Airport Stormwater Manual - Normandy Park: WSDOT Aviation will hold a public meeting to share information about the draft Airport Stormwater Facility Design Manual and receive comments. The draft manual provides guidance to permitting authorities and airport sponsors on best management practices to address hazardous wildlife attractants associated with new or expanded stormwater facilities. Location: Normandy Park Council Chambers, 801 SW 174th Street, Normandy Park.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Express Lane Archive
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