A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Project of the Week - WSDOT bridging the railroad tracks near Seattle's stadiums
Crews have closed Royal Brougham Way next to Safeco Field as they start building a new bridge. WSDOT will keep one lane open in each direction for major events. |
Construction on a new bridge over the railroad tracks next to Seattle's Safeco Field will present some unique challenges in the next year.
Crews working for WSDOT's contractor, Kiewit Pacific Co., are building the bridge on Royal Brougham Way. Bridge construction will require narrowing the street to one lane in each direction between Occidental Avenue S. and Fourth Avenue S. during major events and closing the street to through traffic at all other times until early spring 2010.
WSDOT asks drivers to plan for potential construction delays by allowing extra time for trips to events in the neighborhood. Drivers can also help out by checking traffic conditions and by carpooling or taking the bus to events. The bridge is part of the SR 519 Intermodal Access Project, which improves safety and traffic flow for sports fans, freight haulers, commuters and ferry riders. Work will start in May on another feature of the project - a new I-90 off-ramp to the Atlantic Street/Edgar Martinez Way overpass. Work is part of the SR 519, S. Seattle Intermodal project. The $90.8 million project is funded primarily through the 2003 gas tax and will support an estimated 845 construction jobs.
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Washington Jobs Now - Public Transportation stimulus funding
Pierce Transit will purchase new diesel electric/compressed natural gas buses with stimulus funding. |
As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Washington received $179 million in formula funding for public transportation through the Federal Transit Administration. In our state, we may see the ARRA funds used to build park and ride lots, construct maintenance/operations buildings or transit centers, purchase new buses or communications equipment, or cover the costs of preventative maintenance of vehicles and facilities.
One example of how those funds will be used can be found in Pierce County. ARRA funding will help Pierce Transit purchase diesel electric/compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles. The project will help Pierce Transit diversify their fleet and allow them to use diesel, if there is ever a shortage of CNG. Pierce Transit was the first transit agency in Washington to have 100 percent of its fleet using CNG buses. This now consists of around 280 buses that make up their fixed and paratransit routes. The total cost of the project is $9 million, with $5.4 million coming from Federal Transit Administration stimulus funding.
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Maintenance & Operations feature - Go Orange! Work Zone Safety Awareness Week
April 20 - 25 is Work Zone Awareness Week. WSDOT asks motorists to drive safely in work zones - the life you save may be your own. |
Since 1950, 56 Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) employees have died in work zone-related activities. Each year across the nation, approximately 1,000 people are killed in roadway work zones, and with the recent enactment of the President's economic recovery package, 2009 could be one of the most active highway repair seasons in recent memory.
To call attention to roadway workers and the risks they face when working next to an urban freeway or along a rural roadside, WSDOT is hosting a Work Zone Awareness event, Go Orange, April 20 - 25. WSDOT's Headquarters in Olympia will hold a remembrance ceremony at 10 a.m. on April 23 for the families and co-workers of those who have lost their lives in work zones. Other worker's memorial events will be taking place in WSDOT offices across the state.
WSDOT reminds motorists to drive safely in work zones by paying attention to lane changes and signs, and by driving the posted speed limits. In work zones, 99 percent of incidents involve only the driver and passenger. That’s why in 2009, WSDOT is building on its Give ‘em a Brake program to encourage more organizations around the state to show their support for work zone safety. We hope you will Go Orange! during WSDOT’s Washington Work Zone Awareness Week.
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Update of projects under way
I-5 Seattle - In Seattle, contractor crews will replace 28 broken and cracked concrete panels in the I-5 express lanes during the weekend of April 10. They will also grind bumpy and uneven pavement in several locations. At the same time, WSDOT maintenance crews will perform routine inspections of the Ship Canal bridge. By the end of the weekend we will mark the halfway point in a series of 14 weekend closures on I-5 for panel replacement. This $21 million project was funded through the 2003 Nickel transportation funding package and supports more than 200 jobs.
SR 26 Whitman County - Crews have started work to repair and resurface the driving surface of a bridge over the Palouse River on SR 26 near LaCrosse in Whitman County. Drivers should expect alternating single-lane traffic directed by a temporary signal 24/7. The legal speed limit at the bridge is now reduced to 25 mph and loads over 14 feet wide are prohibited. The project is expected to be completed in mid-May.
I-405 Bellevue - On April 6, WSDOT opened a new southbound I-405 lane at old Wilburton tunnel site in Bellevue. The new southbound lane opened from SE Eighth Street to I-90 to bring relief to weary southbound commuters through Bellevue. The new lane is part of the $124 million I-405 South Bellevue Widening Project that is widening four miles of I-405 between 112th Avenue SE and SE Eighth Street. Atkinson Construction, the contractor for the South Bellevue Widening Project, estimates the project has created and supported more than 1,000 construction jobs per year around the region since it broke ground in 2007. The project is funded by the 2003 and the 2005 gas tax packages.
SR 433 Lewis & Clark Bridge - Crews began work to paint the underside of the SR 433, Lewis and Clark Bridge on April 7. This kicked off the second phase of the Lewis and Clark Bridge Painter project. The contract was awarded in late February to Certified Coatings Company Inc. of Concord, Calif. with a winning bid of $5.1 million. The first phase of the project, completed in February 2008, cleaned and painted piers in the Columbia River. The second phase cleans and paints the remaining piers in the Columbia River, as well as some of the bridge towers on the Washington side. Phase two is expected to support approximately 50 indirect and direct jobs.
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Announcements
144-auto ferry Elwha returns to service in San Juan Islands
The Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division (WSF) has completed investigation and maintenance of the drive motor on the 144-auto ferry Elwha, and the vessel returned to service on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route on Thursday, April 9. The 90-auto Sealth will restore capacity on the inter-island route by relieving the 34-auto Hiyu. WSF removed the Elwha from service on March 24 after the crew discovered sparking in an electrical switch in the vessel’s drive motor. Removing the vessel from service prevented further problems that could have resulted in a severe casualty of the drive motor.
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April meetings
15, Wednesday, 4 - 6 p.m., open house & 6 - 8 p.m., access hearing, SR 14, Camas-Washougal Widening & Interchange - Vancouver: WSDOT will record testimony from property owners in the project area who will be affected by changes in access. Testimony must be limited to access issues only. Project information will be available for viewing. Project staff will be on hand to speak with people about the project before and after the access hearing. Location: WSDOT Southwest Region Headquarters, 11018 NE Circle, Vancouver.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Express Lane Archive
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