A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Project of the Week - Winter won't keep SR 20 construction crews from pushing ahead
Despite cold weather, crews continue work at the SR 20 and I-5 Interchange in Burlington. This is the first of two bridge piers that will support the deck of the new interchange bridge. |
Winter is when you are likely to see a real drop in construction activity across the state. It’s too cold to perform many of the tasks required of construction crews, like paving, and at times it can be too cold for the crews also.
In Burlington, crews have gone from widening SR 20 with asphalt, to building a new bridge with concrete. Concrete work can be performed all winter, as long as it doesn’t get bitterly cold. The bridge will move traffic on and off of southbound I-5, and allow a congested intersection to be removed, while improving safety for the thousands of drivers that use this route daily.
Crews narrowly completed pouring the second of two bridge piers, right before the cold snap hit in mid-December. Crews covered the concrete the next day with a tent and pumped heat into it to ensure proper curing. The piers will support the girders and eventually the bridge deck, the surface drivers will drive on.
The Fredonia to I-5 project will widen fives miles of narrow roadway from two to four lanes and make numerous other safety and congestion improvements between SR 536 (Memorial Highway) and I-5 in Burlington. After a long summer, which saw the completion of the majority of the new lanes, crews have now turned their attention to the I-5 interchange, which will be dramatically improved before the project is completed next summer.
This winter, you can watch the step by step construction on our Flickr page as we build the bridge from the ground up. You can view everything we have done so far, complete with text explaining what crews are doing. In the next couple of weeks crews will install massive girders, which are the first step in building the bridge deck.
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Maintenance & Operations Feature - WSDOT serves up traveler information for the holidays
When the weather turns nasty, WSDOT turns to it's mantra, "Know before you go." This year, we've added some new tools to our Web site to help drivers follow that advice. These new services deliver pass reports and other information via e-mail and allow Twitter users to add WSDOT to their personal accounts.
On a typical day WSDOT's Web site hosts 48,000 visitors with 800,000 page views per day. During December's snow storm, visitors to the site set new records averaging 4.24 million page views per day (from Dec. 12 through Dec. 21). On December 18, WSDOT broke all previous records with 403,865 unique visitors and 6.2 million page views. More than 92 percent of those page views were to WSDOT's traffic and travel pages.
We announced WSDOT's use of Twitter on Dec. 10 and have watched our following grow exponentially during the stormy weather. In just over a week, the number of people who are following WSDOT through Twitter grew from 260 to 1,890. Feedback from many of those users has been positive. Fans of the new service wrote: "Can't tell you enough how much I appreciate your service via Twitter. Thank you for keeping us well-informed!" "Tremendous job putting a personality and human interaction to the WSDOT! Who's your boss so I can email him!" "Getting ready to begin the trek over the mountains. Have @wsdot activated for my cell phone, don't fail me. Wish me luck all!" and, "The contrast between the faceless gov't entity that you are vs your charming & friendly Twitter persona is stark. I think I love you."
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Update of projects under way
SR 6 Chehalis - WSDOT is replacing the 83-year-old South Fork Chehalis River Bridge with a new, wider bridge just 20 feet to the north. Drivers traveling across the existing bridge on SR 6 can expect brief delays while the bridge is temporarily reduced to one lane for five days. A temporary signal system on each side of the bridge will alternate traffic 24-hours a day from Jan. 5 through Jan. 9. Crews are installing steel piles to strengthen the existing roadway as they prepare to construct a major structural component of the new bridge. The guardrail on SR 6 will be removed and equipment will be operating in the roadway. The existing bridge is only 22 feet wide – too narrow for large vehicles to safely cross the bridge at the same time. The new, wider two-lane bridge will improve safety and reduce congestion along this stretch of SR 6 by allowing traffic to more freely flow in both directions.
SR 16 Tacoma - Work begins Jan. 5 on a replacement for the Interstate 5/State Route 16 interchange, one of Pierce County’s worst bottlenecks. Over the course of the three-year construction project, there will be disruptions to traffic – including long-term closures of the Sprague Avenue on- and off-ramps, lane closures on I-5, SR 16 and city streets, and traffic revisions that put eastbound and westbound SR 16 traffic on temporary bridges. This $184 million project – funded primarily by the 2003 gas-tax funding package – eliminates the weave of traffic where vehicles from I-5 change lanes in order to merge onto SR 16 or exit at Sprague Avenue. The westbound project is scheduled for completion in fall 2011, after which crews turn their attention to building the eastbound viaduct.
US 97 Goldendale - WSDOT opened US 97 Biggs Rapids-Sam Hill Bridge to all traffic at 4 p.m. December 24. The bridge had been closed periodically since January 2008 for a complete replacement of the bridge deck. The new, wider deck provides commuters with a better driving surface and allows more goods to be shipped across the Columbia River by lifting previous weight restrictions for this heavily traveled trucking route. In addition, lighting and guardrail improvements increase safety for all travelers on the Biggs Bridge.
Construction crews will continue to work on the bridge at night, with single-lane closures and flagging for final construction activities. Construction is expected to be complete in March 2009.
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Announcements
Joint statement on Alaskan Way Viaduct
On Dec. 30, Gov. Chris Gregoire, King County Executive Ron Sims and Mayor Greg Nickels issued the following statement on the forthcoming Alaskan Way Viaduct decision:
“Representatives of Washington state, Seattle and King County, with input from key stakeholders, have made great progress on a recommendation to replace the aging Alaskan Way Viaduct by 2012. Since our last viaduct oversight committee meeting, there continues to be extraordinary stakeholder response to the list of potential viaduct replacement options.
“As a result of the continued overwhelming response and input on replacement options from stakeholders, we have asked our respective transportation teams to continue their review. Once this information is in hand, and working closely together, a final recommendation will be made to the state Legislature in January.
“The replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct will have a lasting affect on Seattle and the Puget Sound region. We only have one chance to do this right. It is imperative that we find the best option that addresses not only financing, but also solves safety, economic, capacity, and environmental concerns. I have heard from many businesses, small and large, local municipalities, elected officials, and residents that all have a stake in the future of this critical transportation system. We owe it to the residents of the Central Puget Sound to make the right decision.”
Ferries draft Long-Range Plan released for public comment
WSDOT Ferries Division (WSF) staff has worked collaboratively with the Washington State Legislature and Washington State Transportation Commission to address the long-term sustainability of the ferry system in the development of the WSF draft long-range plan. The draft plan is based on 2007 legislation and will guide future WSF service and investment decision through 2030. The draft plan was made available Friday, Dec. 19 for public review and comment.
The draft plan puts forward two options for consideration:
Plan A: This option assumes that the State will continue in its current role as owner, operator, and principal funder of ferry services in the Puget Sound region. Current level of service remains with operational strategies implemented over time and several new vessels coming online. This plan contains a significant budget shortfall that will require new revenues.
Plan B: This option recognizes that the State may not be able to provide new revenues to meet the evolving needs of all ferry customers and communities, and looks at marine transportation very differently. It proposes an alternative where the State takes responsibility for the core marine highway system and a locally-funded entity or entities would take responsibility for a new marine transit system. This option also assumes operational strategies would be implemented over time. It also contains a budget shortfall, but it is significantly smaller than Plan A.
WSF is holding a series of public hearings on the draft plan at 10 locations throughout Puget Sound beginning on Monday, Jan. 5. The format for each hearing is a 30-minute presentation followed by a 90-minute public comment period. You may also provide your comments by e-mailing wsfplanning@wsdot.wa.gov or writing Washington State Ferries, Attn. Joy Goldenberg, 2901 3rd Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121. We ask that comments be received by Jan. 21, 2009.
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Gray Notebook Highlight - Active Traffic Management
Operating our highways efficiently is one of the three "Moving Washington" strategies WSDOT uses to fight congestion. An element of this is Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), which is a set of technology-based tools for smoothing traffic flows, managing situations - like collisions - that constrict traffic, and providing information to the traveling public. Active Traffic Management (ATM) expands the use of ITS technology to manage traffic based on prevailing conditions. WSDOT is currently using several ATM tools on highways including variable speed limits, lane control, and queue warning signs. These signs are intended to prevent collisions by slowing quickly-moving traffic when the system has registered the presence of traffic back-ups ahead. Variable speed limit signs are already in use on Stevens and Snoqualmie passes and soon variable speed limit, lane control and queue warning signs will be in place on SR 520 and I-90. Based on similar ATM practices in Europe, WSDOT believes that by implementing the variable speed limits and lane control, there will be a drop in collisions by up to 30 percent, which in turn will improve traffic flow by 10 percent. More details on this topic can be found in the September 2008 Gray Notebook at www.wsdot.wa.gov/accountability.
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January open houses, meetings and events
5, Monday, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., Public Hearing, Ferries Long-range plan - Port Townsend: WSDOT's Ferries Division will hold a series of public hearings around Puget Sound to get comments on the draft long-range plan for services and investments through 2030. Public comments received will help inform the final plan scheduled to be released on Jan. 30, 2009. Location: Pope Marine Building, 100 Madison St., Port Townsend.
6, Tuesday, 6 - 8 p.m., Public Hearing, Ferries Long-range plan - Langley: WSDOT's Ferries Division will hold a series of public hearings around Puget Sound to get comments on the draft long-range plan for services and investments through 2030. Public comments received will help inform the final plan scheduled to be released on Jan. 30, 2009. Location: Useless Bay Golf Club, 5725 South Country Club Drive, Langley.
7, Wednesday, 10 - 11 a.m., Groundbreaking, I-5 - SR 16 Westbound Nalley Valley - Tacoma: An event is being held to kick off construction of a project to increase safety, improve mobility and reduce congestion by rebuilding the I-5/SR 16 Nalley Valley interchange. Location: Under the Nalley Valley viaduct, between South Tacoma Way and Center Street.
7, Wednesday, 6 - 8 p.m., Public Hearing, Ferries Long-range plan - Vashon Island: WSDOT's Ferries Division will hold a series of public hearings around Puget Sound to get comments on the draft long-range plan for services and investments through 2030. Public comments received will help inform the final plan scheduled to be released on Jan. 30, 2009. Location: McMurray Middle School, 9329 SW Cemetery Rd., Vashon Island.
8, Thursday, 6 - 8 p.m., Public Hearing, Ferries Long-range plan - Bremerton: WSDOT's Ferries Division will hold a series of public hearings around Puget Sound to get comments on the draft long-range plan for services and investments through 2030. Public comments received will help inform the final plan scheduled to be released on Jan. 30, 2009. Location: Kitsap Conference Center, Harborside, 100 Washington Avenue, Bremerton.
10, Saturday, 9 a.m. - noon, Walking Tour, Vancouver light rail - Vancouver: Staff of the Columbia River Cross project, C-TRAN and City of Vancouver are holding a walking tour for community members who live, work or own property near the alignments as well as anyone who is interested in downtown transit issues. Participants are invited to share their perspectives, preferences and concerns on major transit choices. Location: Hudson's Bay High School, 1601 E. McLoughlin Blvd., Vancouver, WA.
10, Saturday, noon - 3 p.m., Transit Workshop, Vancouver light rail - Vancouver: Staff of the Columbia River Cross project, C-TRAN and City of Vancouver are holding a workshop for community members who live, work or own property near the alignments as well as anyone who is interested in downtown transit issues. Participants are invited to help design light rail in Vancouver by sharing their perspectives, preferences and concerns on major transit choices. Location: Hudson's Bay High School, 1601 E. McLoughlin Blvd., Vancouver, WA.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Express Lane Archive
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