A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
This view of the I-405 freeway in Bellevue will change starting on Nov. 10 as crew begin setting girders on top of the new NE 10th Street bridge columns. |
Next week crews will set girders for a new NE 10th Street bridge over I-405. The new bridge will provide a direct connection between downtown Bellevue and the city’s growing hospital district, as well as relieve congestion on NE Eighth Street. Starting the evening of Monday, Nov. 10, crews will close I-405 lanes and ramps in downtown Bellevue to set large girders over the freeway. The work will take place on weeknights from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. until Nov. 25. Area ramps may close as early as 9 p.m. during construction.
WSDOT carefully planned the process so I-405 will remain open to traffic while the girders are being set. However, each night, after midnight, Washington State Patrol will slow traffic for up to five minutes so crews can safely place girders onto the columns that will support the new bridge.
Crews will set two girders each night for 12 nights. Each girder weighs between 27 and 38 tons – the approximately weight of the Hammering Man at the Seattle Art Museum. When connected together, the girders will span 368 feet across I-405.
WSDOT is teaming up with the City of Bellevue to build the new bridge over the freeway. Earlier this year, the City of Bellevue completed construction on the first stage of the project when they built a bridge approach on the east side of I-405 near Overlake Hospital. WSDOT started construction of the second stage with the demolition of the Paragon Hotel in March. The bridge is expected to open for traffic by summer 2009.
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Maintenance & Operations Feature - Rockslide closes scenic Chuckanut Drive
WSDOT Maintenance crews quickly clear boulders from SR 11, Chuckanut Drive, which has a long history of rockfalls. |
On Tuesday morning around 11 a.m., State Patrol reported to our maintenance crews that a rockslide was blocking all lanes of State Route 11 (Chuckanut Drive) near Bellingham. Crews responded to the scene in less than 20 minutes to find that roughly a dozen 2- to 3-foot sized boulders had crashed across the road. Upon further inspection, crews found that the rocks made a clean break and that it was safe to work underneath the hillside. Those who live and work in the area know that Chuckanut Drive has a long history of rock slides. Crews made quick work of the rocks with their plow truck and pushed them off the road. The road was open to drivers an hour after the slide happened.
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Update of projects under way
SR 520 Bellevue - Crews are conducting geotechnical drilling to test soil conditions for the design of the new SR 520 corridor on the Eastside near the current highway. In October crews began drilling from barges along the eastern and western shores of Lake Washington. That work will wrap up later this month. Drilling will continue in the corridor through March 2009. To help keep traffic moving during the day, crews will do considerable work at night between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. from Sunday to Thursday. Nighttime drilling with a truck-mounted drill rig is currently underway along ramps near the interchange at SR 520 and 108th Avenue NE.
SR 539 (Guide Meridian) Whatcom County - Crews working to widen SR 539, more commonly known as Guide Meridian, at Deer Creek are close to wrapping up work on new retaining walls. Once Deer Creek is complete, the full five lanes of the Guide will be open from Horton to Hemmi roads. North of the Hemmi Road intersection, traffic will merge back onto a two-lane road. Widening on that section of road starts next spring.
I-5 Rush Road to 13th Street Widening in Lewis County Contractor crews are preparing to open an additional lane in each direction of I-5 between 13th Street and Rush Road in Lewis County. The additional lanes are opening in the first week of December, ahead of the originally scheduled spring 2009 opening date. The new lanes are part of a larger project that widens I-5 and builds a new interchange at LaBree Road scheduled for completion in spring 2009. The result of these improvements will be increased economic development and improved mobility and safety for all vehicles traveling on this busy section of I-5.
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Announcements
HOT lanes on SR 167 still attracting solo drivers
Six months since opening, the SR 167 HOT Lanes project is steadily growing in popularity with about 190 tolled trips northbound and 130 southbound during the busiest hour of the day in each direction. Compared to the first week HOT lanes were open, the number of solo drivers choosing to pay for a more reliable trip has jumped 73 percent in the northbound HOT lane and 44 percent in the southbound.
So far, the project is meeting its primary goal of offering commuters an escape from rush-hour traffic without compromising commutes for buses and carpools. In late September, HOT lane users saved an average of five minutes during the busiest morning commute hour in the northbound HOT lane and three minutes during the peak afternoon hour in the southbound HOT lane. The average toll has remained about a buck, with an average daily high of $4.50.
HOT lanes on SR 167 is a four-year pilot project to determine how variable tolling can make the state’s highways more efficient. WSDOT converted nine miles of HOV lanes on SR 167 between Renton and Auburn to a single HOT lane in each direction. With HOT lanes, solo drivers have the choice to pay an electronic toll and escape traffic back ups when they can’t afford to be late.
End of Daylight Savings means dark days, greater risk of pedestrian fatalities
As our daylight hours grow shorter, WSDOT reminds motorists and pedestrians to pay extra attention to pedestrian safety. November 2 marked the end of daylight-saving time and begins the most difficult time of year for drivers to see walkers and bikers. In fact, of the 67 pedestrian fatalities that occurred between February 1, 2007 and January 30 2008, almost half (33) occurred between October and January.
The dark, rainy days of fall and winter reduce a driver’s ability to see. With this in mind, walkers and bicyclists should take extra efforts to make themselves more visible to drivers.
WSDOT is working to increase safety for pedestrians and bicyclists by funding pedestrian and bicycle safety projects. WSDOT's Web site has safety tips and more information about our efforts to improve conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists (pdf 6.55 MB).
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November open houses, meetings and events
12, Wednesday, 3 - 7 p.m., 520 Tolling Implementation Committee meeting, Redmond: Your opinion will help shape how tolling is implemented in the 520 corridor. The 520 Tolling Implementation Committee is holding a series of public events where you can bring your comments, questions, and ideas about tolling options. Location: Redmond City Hall, 15670 NE 85th St., Redmond.
13, Thursday, 3 - 7 p.m., 520 Tolling Implementation Committee meeting, Seattle: Your opinion will help shape how tolling is implemented in the 520 corridor. The 520 Tolling Implementation Committee is holding a series of public events where you can bring your comments, questions, and ideas about tolling options. Location: University of Washington, Gould Hall, 3949 15th Avenue NE, Seattle.
17, Monday, 3 - 7 p.m., 520 Tolling Implementation Committee meeting, Mercer Island: Your opinion will help shape how tolling is implemented in the 520 corridor. The 520 Tolling Implementation Committee is holding a series of public events where you can bring your comments, questions, and ideas about tolling options. Location: Stroum Jewish Community Center, 3801 E. Mercer Way, Mercer Island.
Express Lane Archive
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