A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Project of the week - New I-405 lanes in Renton reach halfway point
Crews continue work to build new lanes on I-405 in Renton. This stage of the project will be completed this fall.
Photo courtesy: Dan Crowell, Soundview Aerial Photography |
We’re halfway to opening new lanes on I-405 in Renton that will help relieve congestion in the area. Work is part of the I-405, I-5 to SR 169 Stage 1 – Widening Project. Crews recently finished placing 24 girders for the new I-405 bridge over Oakesdale Avenue SW.
Last summer we shifted southbound I-405 traffic to the new bridge. This fall we’ll finish the job and have a new bridge with eight lanes of traffic, with three general-purpose lanes and one carpool lane in each direction of I-405 between I-5 and SR 167.
To build the first span of the new bridge two cranes placed a dozen 170-foot-long girders weighing 87.5 tons. After those girders are in place crews set 12 smaller girders to complete the new bridge, which is designed to eliminate the center support, providing a more natural flow in Springbrook Creek.
Crews have also been working on building a new lane on southbound SR 167 between I-405 and SW 41st Street. Renton Stage 1 crews expect to be complete with the project in the summer of 2010.
This summer we will start construction on a new project in the Renton area, The I-405, I-5 to SR 169 Stage 2 - Widening and SR 515 Interchange Project. As part of the project, WSDOT will:
- Add a new lane in each direction on I-405 from SR 167 to SR 169.
- Build a new half-diamond interchange at SR 515 (Talbot Road). The new interchange includes an on-ramp from SR 515 to northbound I-405 and an off-ramp from southbound I-405 to SR 515.
- Reconstruct the Benson Road bridge over I-405.
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Maintenance & Operations feature - WSDOT travel times are a changin’: Updated travel times to and from Everett
Travel time signs like these help drivers in the Puget Sound region make informed travel decisions. |
WSDOT is improving the way it measures travel times on I-5 between Everett and Seattle. On key highways in the Puget Sound area, WSDOT displays travel times on electronic signs to help drivers decide the best route to take, based on real-time information. Travel times are calculated using loop detectors imbedded in our freeways. These detectors are capable of calculating average traffic speeds, which allows us to determine the average travel time from point to point. With this information, drivers can adjust their travel plans and avoid already congested routes, or get an expectation of how long it will take to reach their destination.
On Feb. 4, WSDOT changed the locations used to measure travel times between Everett and Seattle, and Everett and Bellevue to provide drivers with more accurate travel times. WSDOT moved the travel time measurement location three miles to the north to better address the areas of increased traffic volumes between SR 526 and 41st Street in Everett. Drivers will notice an average of three minutes added to the posted travel times to and from Everett.
The update includes new overhead freeway driver information signs and changes to the posted travel times on WSDOT’s website. A new sign located on southbound I-5 at Lowell Road in Everett will display travel times to Seattle and Bellevue. A second sign located on northbound I-405 just south of NE 116th Street in Bellevue will display times to Lynnwood and Everett. Signs on northbound I-5 at Lakeview Boulevard and NE 130th Street in Seattle will be updated to show the new travel times to Central Everett.
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Update of projects under way
SR 18 Tiger Mountain - On Feb. 2, crews began work to stabilize a slope under the westbound lane of SR 18 just east of the Holder Creek Bridge. Recent storms caused Holder Creek to flood and erode the hillside supporting the roadway. Erosion has caused cracking of the highway shoulder. To keep drivers safe and create a safe working space, crews will close the westbound lane and shift all traffic onto the two eastbound lanes during nighttime construction. Drivers should expect delays during the work, which is expected to wrap up in March. An average of 20,000 vehicles use this stretch of highway each day, including about 3,000 trucks.
SR 169 Renton - Crews began emergency repairs on Feb 3 along the right lane of northbound SR 169 near the Maplewood Golf Course in Renton. About 250 feet of a retaining wall that supports the highway will be repaired, as well as a section of concrete barrier and roadway that dropped about an inch and a half. Crews will also repair about 50 feet of a pedestrian trail at the base of the wall. The trail and right lane has been closed since Jan. 8 when heavy rains caused the Cedar River to flood and undermine the wall.
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Announcements
Safety sign vandals risk public safety, criminal prosecution
WSDOT and the Washington State Patrol are warning would-be vandals that tampering with a roadway safety sign is a crime. Earlier this week, a portable electronic message sign within a WSDOT construction zone was re-programmed, prompting WSDOT to issue a safety warning and review security measures on its signs and signs owned by contractors. These signs are used to warn motorists of road conditions, construction, lane closures and other potential hazards on the road ahead. Their removal puts drivers and construction workers at risk.
The single incident in Washington occurred when a control box of a portable message sign adjacent to the roadway was broken into by vandals who created the unauthorized message. The messages on portable construction signs are individually programmed at the job site and are not connected to a central computer network. The unauthorized message was first noticed by a state trooper who immediately recognized the danger and notified WSDOT. The message was quickly corrected and WSDOT alerted its maintenance and contractor crews of the potential for this problem at other work locations.
“These people risk potential felony charges,” said WSP Captain Jeff DeVere. “These signs convey important safety information and we do not consider this a harmless prank.”
WSDOT Ferries Division releases revised draft Long-Range Plan
Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division (WSF) released its revised draft Long-Range Plan on Jan. 31. The revised draft plan highlights a need for $1.3 billion to $3.3 billion in new funding over the next 22 years to maintain the ferry system.
The revised draft plan defines two very different scenarios for the state ferry system. Scenario A would make minor improvements to the system, but it would also require $3.3 billion of additional funding over the next 22 years. Scenario B would cut back some service and pare the system to its bare essentials, reducing the funding need to $1.3 billion.
The revised draft plan updates a draft document released on Dec. 19, 2008 for public review and comment. WSF accepted comments on the draft through Monday, Jan. 26. During the 38-day comment period, WSF conducted a total of 10 public hearings in ferry-served communities to present the draft plan and to listen to public testimony. More than 1,300 individuals attended the public hearings, and hundreds in attendance testified. In addition, WSF received more than 800 written comments.
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February meetings and events
17 & 18, Tuesday & Wednesday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Washington State Transportation Commission meeting - Olympia: The State Transportation Commission provides a public forum for transportation policy development. It reviews and evaluates how the transportation system works across the state and issues the state’s 20-year Transportation Plan. The Commission sets tolls for state highways and bridges and fares for Washington State Ferries. Location: Transportation Building, Commission Boardroom, 310 Maple Park Ave., Olympia.
20, Friday, 11 a.m. - noon, dedication ceremony, Community Transit's Mountlake Terrace Transit Center and Parking Garage - Mountlake Terrace: A new five-level garage, supporting Community Transit and Sound Transit operations, will be dedicated with a community event. The 660-car garage, adjacent to I-5, provides the additional capacity needed to address local demand for parking and increased ridership that is expected with a planned I-5 median bus station. WSDOT's Regional Mobility grant program provided $2 million toward this project in support of a more efficient transportation system and economic growth. Location: Mountlake Terrace Transit Center, I-5 at 236th St. SW, Mountlake Terrace
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Express Lane Archive
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