A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
A new signal will go "live" in mid-December on SR 522 at Woodinville Drive in Bothell. Work is part of the new interchange and south entrance to the UW and Cascadia Community College. |
This summer, crews rebuilt the intersection of SR 522 and Woodinville Drive in Bothell. As part of the improvements, they added turn lanes and installed a new traffic signal. Crews are now connecting the signal to power and testing to ensure it is working properly. They plan to turn it on in mid-December.
“SR 522 commuters should be ready to slow down and stop as they approach Woodinville Drive,” said WSDOT Project Engineer Janice Fahning. “It’s a change for drivers, but the new traffic light will make the intersection safer for everyone.”
The signal will direct traffic on SR 522 through the Woodinville Drive intersection and help motorists safely turn to enter and exit the roadway. In fall 2009, crews will reprogram the signal and open the north leg of the SR 522/Woodinville Drive intersection that will carry traffic to the new south entrance of the Bothell campus.
WSDOT is working with the University of Washington and Cascadia Community College to build a new entrance on the south side of the Bothell campus. Crews will also build a new roadway for SR 522 (Bothell Way NE) from the I-405 interchange to Kaysner Way in Bothell.
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Maintenance & Operations feature - WSDOT and WSP are ready for winter driving conditions. Are you?
Be prepared for winter driving conditions; on ice and snow, take it slow
WSDOT avalanche forecaster John Stimberis talks with one of the TV news reporters who attended the Hyak Media Day at Snoqualmie Pass. |
On Tuesday, Nov. 18 at the WSDOT's Hyak Maintenance Facility representatives of WSDOT, Washington State Patrol (WSP) and the Northwest Insurance Council spoke with media reporters about what it takes to keep Snoqualmie Pass open, what can happen if drivers don’t come prepared, and what it might cost if people drive too fast for pass conditions.
A key message delivered by Maintenance Engineer Todd Trepanier is that WSDOT is ready to move ice and snow off of the highway to keep it safe. WSDOT’s South Central Regional Administrator, Don Whitehouse, told reporters even though we have a budget challenge, we will keep the road safe for travel. Representing the Avalanche Control team, John Stimberis reported that last year WSDOT used over 9,000 pounds of explosives during 200 avalanche control missions. He explained that we schedule avalanche control work during non-busy times, as much as possible.
As a reminder of the role motorists play, WSP Troopers noted that they often see collisions caused by unprepared drivers and that one collision can cause a chain reaction leading to long delays. Northwest Insurance Council’s Darrin Sanger explained that collisions have the potential of costing thousands of dollars. WSDOT staff described how drivers can make better travel plans by viewing Web pages, listening to highway advisory radios, calling 511, and watching for electronic signs above the highway. People planning to travel across the passes for Thanksgiving can check the travel graphs for the best times to travel and plan extra time to get there.
Looking ahead to future pass improvements, WSDOT project manager Brian White explained the benefits of the upcoming I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East Project and showed a video of what the project might look like when finished.
Hyak Media Day is an annual event that helps WSDOT and WSP get the word out that winter driving conditions are just around the corner and people need to prepare. It also provides media with information and news footage that can be used as the winter driving season progresses. Five television stations from the Puget Sound and Yakima areas and one Seattle radio station covered the event.
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Update of projects under way
SR 539 Bellingham - Crews opened the last one and one-half miles of new lanes on the Guide Meridian (SR 539) north of Bellingham on Wednesday, Nov. 19, substantially completing the four-mile, $66-million widening and safety improvement project between Horton and Ten Mile roads. With the new lanes now open between Smith and Hemmi roads, the Guide Meridian is five lanes wide – two lanes in each direction with a middle turn lane. This will help relieve congestion and improve safety for the approximately 20,000 drivers who use this road daily. Crews will return in spring 2009 to lay the final layer of asphalt near Deer Creek. They weren’t able to complete paving before the fall rains came. Crews will still be on the project throughout the winter, monitoring environmental mitigation, finishing planting and cleaning up the remainder of the work.
Edmonds waterfront, Unocal Pier - On Nov. 24, WSDOT's Ferries Division began removing the former fueling pier known as the Unocal Pier located off the shore of Marina Beach Park in Edmonds. The project will remove approximately 530 creosote-treated lumber piles and 31,000 square feet of creosote-treated timber decking to return the offshore area to its natural state. Because the piling removal will also remove the existing marine habitat on the pilings, WSDOT is working with Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium and the Seattle Aquarium to collect marine samples for public exhibits at their respective aquariums. This project is funded by WSDOT Ferries Division as early environmental mitigation for future improvements to the Edmonds Ferry Terminal. Work is expected to continue through March 2009.
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Announcements
WSDOT updates SR 520 corridor cost estimates
WSDOT released updated cost estimates Nov. 20 for the SR 520 Corridor Program. The new estimates include three west side options developed through a mediation process, as well as costs for the Eastside Transit and HOV Project, the floating bridge and the pontoon construction site.
The Tolling Implementation Committee has been analyzing tolling options to fill the SR 520 funding gap, and reviewing the toll scenarios with the public. Earlier in 2008 the funding gap was estimated at $2 billion. The updated cost estimates would increase the funding level required from tolling or other sources. Dave Dye, Deputy Secretary, said the most likely cost for the project is now $4.5 billion, if an interchange for the Montlake/University of Washington area similar to today is selected. “If decision makers select one of the other options, costs will increase another $500 million to $2 billion,” said Dye.
SR 169 Green River Bridge closing for six months
On Nov. 18, WSDOT closed the 80-year-old SR 169 Green River Bridge for at least six months due to concerns over public safety. The structure is vulnerable to moving soils based on data gathered by electronic sensors in the landslide zone. WSDOT geotechnical engineers believe the soil supporting the bridge is showing unusual movement that could be aggravated by recent heavy rain. They are concerned that the soil might not be able to support one of the southernmost bridge piers. If the soil slides, the pier could move with it.
The long-term repairs will cost an estimated $10 million and take place in two stages. Crews first will remove excess water by clearing trenches, unplugging manholes and installing pumps to help drain water from the unstable hillside. Then crews will excavate the soil that is putting pressure on the bridge pier. They will dig out a section of roadbed 30 feet deep and 300 feet long just south of the bridge and replace it with lighter material.
Fourth rockslide blocks new section of Chuckanut Drive south of Bellingham
A new rockslide is restricting access to Chuckanut Drive (SR 11) about four miles south of the Whatcom-Skagit county line at milepost 9.7. The slide occurred on Nov. 19 at approximately 10:45 a.m. and spilled nearly a dump-truck load of rock on the road. This is the fourth slide in 15 days to block Chuckanut Drive. Geotechnical engineers determined that the new slide destabilized a portion of the hillside approximately 80 feet above the road. WSDOT will hire a contractor to remove the unstable rock before reopening the road. This work will completely close the road, and crews estimate that it could take two to four days to complete. The latest slide is several miles south of a large rockslide that occurred Nov. 10. Contractors are currently at that site removing loose rock and stabilizing the hillside.
WSDOT wins national award for communications on I-5 project in Seattle
The WSDOT's 2007 information campaign to warn commuters of massive lane closures on Interstate 5 in Seattle won the National Partnership for Highway Quality's (NPHQ) 2008 Gold Award for Public Communications. The "Making A Difference" Award celebrates WSDOT's successful efforts to get the word out to drivers and transit riders about the I-5 Spokane Street to I-90 Bridge Repair Project in downtown Seattle. In August 2007 WSDOT reduced northbound I-5 to just two to three lanes around the clock for two weeks while crews replaced failing expansion joints and resurfaced lanes on a one-mile section of the freeway. Despite the extensive closures, backups rarely extended more than two miles from the I-5/I-90 interchange, a location renowned as one of the worst bottlenecks in the country.
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December open houses, meetings and events
2, Tuesday, 5 - 7 p.m., Citizen Advisory Committee meeting, Tacoma Narrows Bridge - Gig Harbor: The Tacoma Narrows Bridge Citizen Advisory Committee will meet to discuss possible toll rates, to go into effect July 1, 2009. This nine-member Committee is composed of permanent residents of the bridge area, and is required by law to make toll rate recommendations to the Transportation Commission. Location: Peninsula Library, 4424 Point Fosdick Dr NW, Gig Harbor.
2, Tuesday, 5:30 - 7:30, Open house, I-5 Columbia River Crossing - Vancouver: The Columbia River Crossing project team is holding an open house to share information about plans for light rail, the replacement bridge, and improvements for seven interchanges between SR 500 and Columbia Boulevard. The project team is seeking public input on the project designs. Location: Hilton Vancouver Washington, 301 W 6th Street, Vancouver.
3, Wednesday, 5:30 - 7:30, Open house, I-5 Columbia River Crossing - Portland: The Columbia River Crossing project team is holding an open house to share information about plans for light rail, the replacement bridge, and improvements for seven interchanges between SR 500 and Columbia Boulevard. The project team is seeking public input on the project designs. Location: Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center, 2060 North Marine Drive, Hall D, Portland, OR.
4, Thursday, 4 - 7 p.m., Open house, SR 19 & SR 20 Corridor Plan - Chimacum: WSDOT and the City of Port Townsend are collaborating on this corridor study to identify ways to improve safety and reduce congestion on SR 19 and SR 20. Staff will be on hand to answer questions and take public comments. Location: Chimacum Middle School Commons, Chimacum.
4, Thursday, 4 – 7:30 p.m., Stakeholder Advisory Committee meeting, Alaskan Way Viaduct - Seattle: The committee will meet to discuss evaluation results related to economic impacts, open space, and pedestrian and bicycle connections for the central waterfront scenarios. The meetings are open to the public; however, there will not be a public comment period. Written or e-mail comments are accepted. Location: Seattle City Hall, Bertha Landes Room.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Express Lane Archive
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