A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Project of the Week - What a difference a year (and a new bridge) makes: Second span over the Narrows a smashing success in year one
Gov. Gregoire speaks at the one-year anniversary of the eastbound Tacoma Narrows Bridge. |
There was plenty to celebrate on Wednesday, July 16 - the one-year anniversary of the
eastbound Narrows Bridge. Governor Chris Gregoire, Chief John Batiste of the State Patrol, WSDOT Deputy Secretary Dave Dye and others commemorated the bridge’s impressive first year with an informal and interactive gathering in the shadow of the twin spans, at Tacoma’s War Memorial Park.
The anniversary was an opportunity to reflect on the improvements and achievements being realized from the new bridge:
- Congestion relief: Drivers whose once-nightmarish trek between Gig Harbor and Tacoma is now a speed-limit commute.
- Safety: Collisions are down since the new bridge opened July 16, 2007 – and no one has been killed or seriously injured in a collision. Putting opposing traffic on separate bridges gives motorists more room to maneuver and has contributed to the drop in collisions across the Narrows. The decline in collisions since the addition of the second bridge falls right in line with the statewide trend: The traffic death rate in 2007 is projected to be the lowest in this state’s recorded history.
- Good-To-Go!: Tolling operations have exceeded expectations, as more than 85 percent of morning commuters are using the electronic toll lanes and the violation rate is just two percent. So far, more than 100,000 accounts have been purchased – about four times the original goal set for the tolling program.
- Project efficiency: The WSDOT-Tacoma Narrows Constructors team completed this massive and complicated project under budget ($114 million) and ahead of schedule (four weeks early).
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Maintenance and Operations Feature - Artist Point at the end of SR 542 opens Friday
Crews clear snow from SR 542 for July 18 opening. |
One of the state’s highest scenic vistas – 5,100-foot Artist Point, at the end of SR 542 – will open at 8 a.m. Friday, July 18. The road has been closed by snow since September 28, 2007.
The cold, wet winter made clearing the 2.7-mile stretch of highway a challenge for maintenance crews. A late spring snowstorm delayed the start of work, which had been scheduled to begin June 16. More than 6 feet of snow greeted crews when they reached the lower gate to begin work June 23. And that was nothing compared to the more than 20 feet of snow burying the upper parking lot at the end of the highway.
A team of three with a snowblower, bulldozer and excavator worked 10-hour days, Monday through Thursday, to open the road and clear the parking lots. Walls of snow line the edges of the road, and the restrooms at the upper parking lot are still buried under at lest 18 feet of snow – only the peak of the roof is visible.
Artist Point enthusiasts were able to track the crew’s progress on the Web this year with a
GPS tracking device that transmitted the exact location of the snowblower.
Photos and
videos of the work are available on Flickr and YouTube.
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Update of Projects Under Way
SR 162 Orting - A paving project requires a 24-hour closure on a short stretch of SR 162 between SR 165 and Mundy Loss Road. The closure starts 3 a.m. Friday, July 18 and ends 3 a.m. Saturday, July 19. Crews began work in mid-June on this nine-mile paving project between Orville Road in Orting and SR 165. They expect to finish up in late August or early September. This $2.76 million preservation project provides a smoother driving surface for the 7,000 vehicles that travel this route daily. Safety improvements include updated signage, guardrail and striping.
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Announcements
Bridge over I-5 in Burlington damaged by tall load
A tractor-trailer towing an excavator crashed into the Chuckanut Drive overpass (exit 231) in Burlington on Thursday afternoon, July 10, severely damaging three of the six support beams, knocking off concrete and breaking 22 steel cables. The overpass stands 15’3” tall over I-5. According to Washington State Patrol, the excavator was more than 17 feet high.
Bridge crews finished temporary repairs on the damaged overpass and reopened lanes on July 15, two nights earlier than expected. The bridge is safe for drivers. Vehicles weighing more than 80,000 pounds (40 tons) are prohibited from the overpass until permanent repairs can be made sometime in 2009.
WSDOT engineers have determined that three damaged support beams on the overpass will have to be replaced. The entire east side of the overpass will probably have to be torn down and replaced. This work won't start until sometime in 2009. Engineers still need to research and design the bridge repairs. Once started, the work will take about five months to complete and will require closures on I-5 and Chuckanut Drive. Initial cost estimates are in the million-plus range. WSDOT will do everything possible to recoup the costs for repairs from the responsible party.
New North Wenatchee Park and Ride
The new North Wenatchee Park and Ride lot opened on July 15. LINK Transit and WSDOT hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony, which included media, government, business leaders and the public.
With more and more commuters carpooling, vanpooling and taking the bus, the need for additional park and ride lots has increased. LINK collaborated with WSDOT, using a $752,400 Regional Mobility Grant plus local transit funds, to purchase the property and develop a new 220 space park and ride lot. The WSDOT Regional Mobility Grant program was funded as part of the 9-1/2 cent Transportation Partnership Act in 2005.
New lane open on SR 20 near Burlington
Drivers in Skagit county are getting some congestion relief with the opening of another new lane on SR 20 west of Burlington. WSDOT opened the wider, safer two-mile stretch of roadway to eastbound drivers Tuesday afternoon, July 15. SR 20 is now four lanes wide with a divided median from Memorial Highway to Higgins Airport Way.
With the new lane open, crews are starting to wrap up stage one of the five-mile highway widening project that will stretch all the way to I-5. Stage two has already started and will be complete in fall 2009. During stage one construction, crews:
- Widened the highway to four lanes from Memorial Highway to Higgins Airport Way
- Divided east and westbound lanes with a 32-foot grass median and cable median barrier to help prevent dangerous crossover collisions
- Built four bridges
- Installed a new traffic signal at the congested Higgins Airport Way intersection
Lewis and Clark Bridge Inspection Work Scheduled for July 21-22, 24-25
Drivers on the Lewis and Clark Bridge over the Columbia River between Longview, WA and Rainier, OR will notice narrower lanes during the daytime July 21-22 and 24-25. The lane narrowing will occur between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day and is necessary for the bridge’s annual inspection.
There are no sidewalks on the Lewis & Clark Bridge and the lanes will be narrowed to 11 feet in width. Therefore, no wide loads will be allowed on the bridge during the inspection work. Advanced warning signs will be posted during the inspection. Motorists are asked to slow down and pay attention to the warning signs.
The safety of bridge structures in Washington State is ensured through a meticulous inspection system, incorporating state and local agency inspection contributions. There are roughly 7,000 bridges and structures on the state, city and county road systems and WSDOT is responsible for managing an inventory of nearly 3,500 of these critical transportation links.
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Gray Notebook Highlight - Ridership Increases for Amtrak Cascades
Washington is one of 13 states to provide operating funds to Amtrak for intercity passenger rail service. Amtrak Cascades train operations span 466 miles of rail between Eugene, Oregon, and Vancouver, B.C. Ridership on Washington state-supported Amtrak Cascades for the first quarter of 2008 was 111,552, a 16.7 percent increase over the same period in 2007. Rising fuel prices have contributed to strong demand for Amtrak Cascades services as people seek economic alternatives to the cost of vehicle travel. On-time performance of Amtrak Cascades for the first quarter also increased, averaging 58.1 percent on time compared with 51. 9 percent during the same period in 2007. A train is considered late if it arrives at its destination more than 10 minutes after the published schedule. WSDOT continues to work with BNSF and Amtrak on methods to improve service reliability and achieve our goal of 80 percent or better on-time performance. Details on this topic and other key issues can be found in the March 2008 Grey Notebook at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/accountability
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July open houses, meeting, and events
22, Tuesday, 5 - 7 p.m., Open house, Long-Term Air Transportation Study - Mukilteo: The Washington Aviation Planning Council is seeking public comments on draft statewide aviation policies being developed as part of the Long-Term Air Transportation Study. These policies address land use, environment, capacity, new technology, safety, mobility, preservation, access and economy. Location: Future of Flight Aviation Center, 8415 Paine Field Boulevard, Mukilteo.
24, Thursday, 4 - 7:30 p.m., Stakeholder Advisory Committee Meeting, Alaskan Way Viaduct - Seattle: The Alaskan Way Viaduct program office will host the next Central Waterfront Stakeholder Advisory Committee meeting. The committee is a group of 30 people representing various constituencies and community groups and is led by WSDOT, King County Department of Transportation, and Seattle Department of Transportation. Location: Bertha Landes Room, Seattle City Hall, 600 Fourth Avenue, Seattle.
24, Thursday, 5 - 7 p.m., Open house, Long-Term Air Transportation Study - Wenatchee: The Washington Aviation Planning Council is seeking public comments on draft statewide aviation policies being developed as part of the Long-Term Air Transportation Study. These policies address land use, environment, capacity, new technology, safety, mobility, preservation, access and economy. Location: Wenatchee Convention Center, 201 N. Wenatchee Avenue, Wenatchee.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Express Lane Archive
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