A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Project of the Week - North Spokane Corridor update
A tunnel will carry trains under the North Spokane Corridor, eliminating conflicts and delays for both freight rail and vehicle traffic. |
A major phase of US 395 North Spokane Corridor freeway construction is now under way after a winter break. This project will lower US 2 between Farwell Road and Deadman Creek to provide enough clearance to pass under the North Spokane Corridor freeway.
The contractor, Graham Construction of Spokane, has resumed excavation to lower US 2 and bridge construction is also under way. The project includes building six bridges, plus multiple retaining walls along US 2. Another component of the job is a new, wildlife-friendly, arch culvert for Deadman Creek underneath US 2. An estimated 450 jobs are supported by this $43 million construction project, which completes the North Spokane Corridor/US 2/Shady Slope Road Interchange. The project broke ground in late fall 2008 and is about six percent complete. Completion is scheduled for 2011.
Other contract work under way includes the finishing touches on the 1,600 foot BNSF railroad tunnel that will carry freight rail under the North Spokane Corridor. That work is about 85 percent complete. In addition, the concrete paving project on a 4 1/2–mile segment of the corridor is nearly complete. When the tunnel and the paving jobs are finished, WSDOT will open the first section to traffic. This section includes a three-lane portion for northbound and interim southbound traffic from the vicinity of Francis and Freya to Farwell Road. That should occur in late summer this year.
Coming up later this year will be the next contract: US 2 to Wandermere. This contract will pave the previously graded section between US 2 and the existing US 395 highway at Wandermere. It also constructs two large steel bridges, and builds the US 395 Wandermere Interchange. The contract completes a drivable link between US 395 at Wandermere, and the Francis/Freya Interchange. When it’s finished in 2011, traffic will flow on the North Spokane Corridor from existing US 395, to the vicinity of Francis and Freya, about half of the 10 1/2-mile north/south corridor length.
As part of the North Spokane Corridor project, we are building an adjacent pedestrian/bicycle path that parallels the route. The paved trail will open in sections at the same time as the driving lanes. When future freeway sections are completed to the south, the North Spokane Corridor trail will connect to the Centennial Trail network along the Spokane River.
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Washington Jobs Now - WSDOT breaks ground on first American Recovery and Reinvestment Act transportation project
Columbia Asphalt construction worker, Jeff Randolph, speaks with reporters about what ARRA projects, like the I-90 Yakima River to West Ellensburg Paving project, mean to him and his family. |
WSDOT celebrated the start of construction on the first of Washington’s 181 state and local projects funded by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on April 30. Secretary Hammond was joined by a federal, state and local representatives, Columbia Asphalt and its contractor crews and their families, for the start of construction on the I-90 Yakima River to West Ellensburg Paving project.
“After several months of hard work preparing, planning, and getting our projects advertised, today we are recognizing the people who are directly benefitting from the investments – those men and women who are being put to work because of these stimulus dollars,” said Paula Hammond, Washington Transportation Secretary.
When the $2.5 million preservation project is complete in mid-summer, drivers will experience a smoother, safer driving surface from west Ellensburg to Thorpe. Columbia Asphalt is grinding the existing eastbound and westbound roadway surface and repaving it with hot mix asphalt. Crews are also enhancing drivability with updated safety features such as guardrails, signing, and striping. The project will open to traffic by mid-summer. The new roadway surface will require less repair work, reduce maintenance costs, and extend the life of the pavement.
Washington this week became one of the few states in the country that has obligated more than half of the federal highway ARRA funds – a milestone reached 60 days ahead of schedule. This puts Washington in a position to receive any undistributed funds from other states that fail to meet the act's June 29 deadline.
Here is how Washington is delivering on the 2009 ARRA (as of April 28):
| Projects |
Total |
Governor
Certified |
Advertised |
Contract Awarded/
Under Construction |
| State |
34 |
34 |
21 |
3 |
| Local |
147 |
147 |
15 |
1 |
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Maintenance & Operations feature - Incident Response Team rescues tiny vehicle from the 520 bridge
WSDOT's IRT driver, George Rondeau, gently pushes a tiny electric vehicle off the 520 bridge to the safety of the highway shoulder. |
An unusual sight last week on the 520 floating bridge - a tiny electric car seemingly being swallowed up by an Incident Response Team (IRT) truck and it was all caught on camera. IRT driver George Rondeau says he was patrolling the area during the afternoon commute on April 21 when he spotted the neon green electric car broken down in the westbound lanes.
George says he arrived at the electric car - which is technically a multi-wheeled motorcycle with two wheels in front and one in back - to find it wasn't out of juice. Rather, the car's main drive belt had broken. Very gingerly George inched his truck up to the car - which looks like it's on steroids compared to the wee set of wheels - and began pushing it off the bridge. George said pushing the car was worrisome because the vehicle was so light he couldn't "feel" it with his truck. An IRT worker relies heavily on how a disabled vehicle feels against their truck while pushing it. George says he was a bit concerned the car might turn sideways on him and he'd roll right over the top of it.
"I could see him just fine, but I couldn't feel him. I had the driver roll down his window so I could talk to him over my loudspeaker if I needed to," said George. However, he safely pushed the car off the bridge and to the side of the road where the driver waited for a tow truck.
IRT staff are a specially trained group of WSDOT maintenance employees who respond to blocking incidents on our state's freeways and highways. Their main function is to clear roads and help drivers and restore the normal flow of traffic as safely and quickly as possible. Statewide there are about 50 IRT vehicles in the program. Of that total, approximately 37 are stationed in the Seattle area. Since 1963, WSDOT tow and push trucks have been clearing blockages on the Mercer Island and Evergreen Point floating bridges in a “roving” mode during peak traffic periods.
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Update of projects under way
US 2 Douglas County - Work is under way to stabilize several different rock slopes above US 2, between Orondo and Waterville in Pine Canyon, Douglas County. Crews are using stabilization techniques recommended by WSDOT's Geotechnical branch for this project. Those include cutting back the slopes to a flatter angle, removing debris, scaling rocks from the slopes, installing rock bolts and steel cable netting. This project will increase motorist safety by reducing the number of rocks rolling onto the roadway, creating driving hazards.
SR 16 Tacoma - Crews working on the I-5/SR 16 Westbound Nalley Valley project have begun driving piles for temporary bridges. This work is scheduled to go on for several weeks. Crews are hammering foundations for bridge piers into the ground. The piers will support temporary eastbound and westbound bridges over the Nalley Valley, allowing traffic to continue moving while the permanent bridges and ramps are under construction. The I-5/SR 16 Westbound Nalley Valley project is a part of WSDOT's Tacoma/Pierce County HOV Program. The project eliminates one of Pierce County’s worst bottlenecks, increases safety and creates approximately 200 construction-related jobs.
SR 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct - On April 28, WSDOT began demolishing two large buildings on state property near Qwest Field. Removing the buildings creates space for a series of construction projects that will replace the earthquake-damaged Alaskan Way Viaduct. The buildings are located on the west side of First Avenue S. between S. Royal Brougham Way and S. Dearborn Street. The project will last through June. WSDOT has used the 7.5-acre demolition site for viaduct-related construction since fall 2008. Beginning later this year, it will serve as a construction staging area for a project that will replace the southern mile of the viaduct between S. Holgate Street and S. King Street. Crews will spend the rest of 2009 relocating utilities in the area, to prepare for construction of the viaduct’s south end replacement beginning in early 2010.
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Announcements
WSDOT Ferries Division peak season begins May 1
On Friday, May 1, the peak season officially began at WSDOT Ferries Division with an additional 25 percent surcharge applied generally to full fare vehicle/driver tickets. On most routes, the peak season surcharge does not affect passenger fares or frequent user multi-ride fares, except on the Anacortes/San Juan routes. On the Anacortes/San Juan routes passenger single fares are increased 20 percent during the peak season and vehicle/driver fares go up 35 percent. These routes also have day of the week pricing, making travel less expensive from Sunday through Tuesday than from Wednesday through Saturday. Summer parking rates at Anacortes will also go into effect on May 1.
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May open houses, meetings and events
5, Tuesday, 4 - 7 p.m., Open house, SR 303 Manette Bridge Replacement project - Bremerton: WSDOT staff will hold an open house to share information about the Manette Bridge Replacement project. Displays will show the new bridge design and informational handouts will be available. Public input will be sought on opportunities for architectural embellishments on the new bridge. Location: Norm Dick's Government Center, 345 6th Street, Bremerton.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Express Lane Archive
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