A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Project of the Week - I-5/SR 16 Westbound Nalley Valley project under way
Major changes are planned for the I-5/SR 16 Nalley Valley Interchange in Tacoma seen here from below. |
Work began Monday, Jan. 5 on a replacement for the Interstate 5/State Route 16 interchange, one of Pierce County’s worst bottlenecks. 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 project is scheduled for completion in fall 2011.
“People have been waiting a long time for this one, and we’re excited to kick off 2009 with this important project,” said WSDOT Olympic Region Administrator Kevin Dayton.
Miserable weather and hazardous driving conditions prompted the cancellation of the planned groundbreaking event that had been scheduled for Jan. 7.
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This design visualization drawing shows how the new westbound SR 16 viaduct may look when completed in 2011.
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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. An average of 131,000 vehicles use the viaduct each day.
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Maintenance & Operations Feature - Flooding, mudslides and avalanches close numerous state highways
Floodwaters spill over Interstate 5 in Centralia prompting WSDOT to close the freeway in both directions from US 12 in Lewis County to Grand Mound in Thurston County. |
Torrential rain, combined with a melting snow pack, pushed rivers and streams over their banks throughout western Washington this week. On Jan. 8, nearly 80 sections of state highways were closed due to flooding, mudslides and rock falls, affecting travel in nearly every county in western Washington. Overflowing rivers caused localized flooding in parts of eastern Washington as well. East - west travel across the mountain passes was also halted due to dangerous travel conditions.
Flooding of the Newaulkum and Chehalis rivers on Jan. 7 and 8, prompted WSDOT to close a 20-mile stretch of Interstate 5 from US 12 in Lewis County to Grand Mound in Thurston County. Receding waters allowed WSDOT officials to check for damage and then reopen the freeway on Friday, Jan. 9.
In the mountain passes, rain and warm temperatures created extreme avalanche danger and rapid water runoff resulting in closure of I-90 Snoqualmie Pass, US 2 Stevens Pass, US 12 White Pass and US 97 Blewett Pass. Washouts, roadway erosion, unstable slopes and mudslides threatened the roadway in several places. WSDOT was able to reopen Stevens Pass late Thursday afternoon, providing the first east-west passage across the mountains in two days. Snoqualmie Pass was reopened in stages on Friday, with the eastbound lanes opening in the morning, followed by the westbound lanes by early afternoon.
WSDOT Maintenance crews worked around the clock monitoring water levels across roadways, clearing highways, making repairs, and performing avalanche control. Once floodwaters subsided, WSDOT crews assessed the highways for damage, and reopened roadways as soon as they were determined safe. Contracting for emergency repairs of major damage was under way even before the highways were cleared so that travel could be restored as quickly as possible.
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Update of projects underway
I-5 Seattle - Crews closed the southbound I-5 ramps at NE 80th Street and N 85th Street for noise wall construction in Seattle. Construction crews are building a noise wall along the west side of the freeway set up a crane overnight on the off-ramp to unload and install noise wall panels from waiting delivery trucks. Crews will close the southbound I-5 off-ramp to NE 80th Street and N 85th Street for four nights, on Monday, Jan. 5 through Thursday, Jan. 8. A signed detour was in place.
I-5 Burlington - WSDOT is one step closer to starting repairs on the damaged I-5 Chuckanut Drive overpass in Burlington at exit 231. The bridge was damaged when an excavator being hauled by a tractor-trailer crashed into the overpass on July 10, 2008. Crews shored up the bridge with a temporary repair and reopened shortly after. Vetch Construction of Camano Island was awarded the emergency repair contract on Dec. 18 and will start construction by the end of January. Crews will rebuild the eastern half of the bridge, which spans northbound I-5. Chuckanut Drive will remain closed at the I-5 interchange during much of the construction. Northbound I-5 will close for up to a total of five nights during demolition and construction. Detour routes will be posted for both closures.
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Announcements
WSDOT delays the US 97A North of Wenatchee Unstable Slopes Project to 2010
In response to community input, WSDOT will delay the start of a rock scaling project to limit the impact on the regional tourism industry. The project will address an ongoing safety hazard – rocks falling onto US 97A – by scaling the unstable slopes above Rocky Reach Dam and installing netting. The $6.7 million project was originally scheduled to be advertised for private contractor bids on Dec. 22. Now bidding will be rescheduled to next fall.
“Our original plan to scale the slope next spring followed by installation of the steel netting next summer imposed too great a hardship on some orchardists and businesses dependant on tourist traffic,” said Bob Romine, WSDOT Project Engineer. “After our last meeting with the Entiat Chamber of Commerce, earlier this month, we are delaying the work until the spring of 2010, when the entire project can be done in a single phase.”
This project will stabilize three rock slopes above US 97A, four miles North of Wenatchee. It includes debris removal, rock scaling, installation of rock bolts and steel cable netting. This is the first of two phases of slope repair along US 97A to be accomplished between now and 2012.
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Gray Notebook Highlight - Maintaining stormwater facilities
Effective stormwater management is a high priority for WSDOT. Paved surfaces - such as highways, rest areas and park and ride lots - do not allow water to seep into the ground where it can be naturally filtered before entering streams and other bodies of water. Untreated runoff can pick up oil, heavy metals, fertilizers and other pollutants and carry them into rivers and lakes. Managing stormwater helps WSDOT fulfill its environmental stewardship commitments and meet state and federal water quality requirements. In 1995, we began managing stormwater under a Department of Ecology permit covering the most populated areas in Clark, King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. Statewide, WSDOT manages more than 2,100 stormwater treatment facilities. A new permit, anticipated to be issued in early 2009, will expand WSDOT's stormwater management program to a larger geographic area, covering over 100 urban centers across the state. It will also require additional inspections and more rigorous maintenance of stormwater treatment facilities. More details on this topic can be found in the December 2008 edition of the Gray Notebook at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/accountability.
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January open houses, meetings and events
12, Monday, 6:30 - 8:30 Public Hearing, Ferries Long-range plan - Port Orchard: 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: South Colby Elementary, 3281 Banner Rd. SE, Port Orchard.
13, Tuesday, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Public Hearing, Ferries Long-range plan - Bainbridge 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: Commons, 402 Brien Drive, Bainbridge Island.
13 & 14, Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Washington State Transportation Commission meeting - Olympia: The Washington State Transportation Commission will begin discussion of future operations and funding needs for ferries, and will discuss future toll rates for the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, during its monthly meeting. In addition, Commissioners will hear from the Puget Sound Partnership on its plans to improve the health of the Puget Sound. Location: Transportation Building, Commission Boardroom, 310 Maple Park Ave. SE, Olympia.
14, Wednesday, noon - 3 p.m., 3 - 6 p.m., SR 502 Widening Project open house and access hearing - Vancouver: WSDOT will host an open house and formal access hearing for a project that will widen SR 502 from I-5 to Battle Ground. Project staff will be available to discuss the project during the open house, from 12 - 3 p.m. The formal hearing, which documents testimony from property owners affected by the project, will begin at 3 p.m. Location: WSDOT Southwest Region office, 11018 NE 51st Circle, Vancouver.
14, Wednesday, 6 - 9 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: Discovery Middle School, 800 3. 40th Street, Vancouver.
14, Wednesday, 6 - 8 p.m., Public Hearing, Ferries Long-range plan - Kingston: 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: Yacht Club, 25915 Washington Boulevard, Kingston.
15, Thursday, 11:40 a.m. - 2:40 p.m., Public Hearing, Ferries Long-range plan - San Juans: 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: aboard the San Juan Inter-Island ferry.
15, Thursday, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Public Hearing, Ferries Long-range plan - Anacortes: 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: Fidalgo Senior Center, 1701 22nd Street, Anacortes.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Express Lane Archive
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