A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Project of the Week - Hood Canal Bridge - One down, five to go
The largest derrick barge on the West Coast lifted the 1,000,000-pound east truss from the SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge. Construction is on scheduled for a mid-June reopening of the bridge. |
When the giant countdown clock perched atop the job-shack trailers at the SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge reached zero at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, May 1, crews set up traffic barriers, closed the bridge and immediately got to work. Over the course of six weeks, crews will replace the east half of the bridge and the east and west trusses.
Day one went off without a hitch. Sunny blue skies and picturesque views made commuters on the South Point-Lofall foot ferry feel as though they were on vacation rather than on their way to work. And just seven hours into the construction, the first major milestone was reached - crews successfully removed the 471-foot east-half draw pontoon.
But you can’t write a great success story without weaving challenges into the chapters. As the first week continued, considerable challenges loomed. Two days of unseasonably windy weather bought construction and the water shuttle to a halt. Fighting wind and waves, crews removed construction equipment from the bridge deck and used tug boats to secure pontoons. Operations staff utilized the Web, news media, text messaging and WSF customer service in an all-out effort to keep the public informed on the status of the water shuttle.
The project team and the public start week two of construction battled-tested. Construction remains on schedule despite weather setbacks. Wrinkles in contingency and communication plans for water shuttle and transit service have been ironed out. Commuters are tuned in, on new schedules and have developed their own contingency plans. The remaining weeks of the bridge closure are sure to have more challenges for workers and commuters – but we’re ready.
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Washington Jobs Now - Redmond breaks ground on 36th Street Bridge project
Redmond Mayor John Marchione, Councilwoman Nancy McCormick, Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond and Rep. Judy Clibborn celebrate the start of the city's 36th Street Bridge project, which includes federal stimulus money. |
The City of Redmond broke ground on the first of 147 local transportation projects supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Local and state officials celebrated the start of construction on the 36th Street Bridge project on May 1. The project will provide a key connection in the Overlake neighborhood with a new bridge crossing over SR 520, linking NE 31st Street with NE 36th Street. The bridge will carry two lanes of traffic, bike lanes and sidewalks to improve traffic circulation, alleviate congestion and improve pedestrian and bicycle connections. The Overlake area is home to more than 600 information-technology and high-tech firms and is designated as a regional growth center by the Puget Sound Regional Council. This project is expected to reduce vehicle miles traveled by approximately 135,000 miles per year.
Here is how Washington is delivering on the 2009 ARRA (as of May 5):
| Projects |
Total |
Governor
Certified |
Advertised |
Contract Awarded/
Under Construction |
| State |
34 |
34 |
23 |
8 |
| Local |
147 |
147 |
20 |
3 |
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Update of projects underway
I-5 Stanwood - Crews began construction May 4 to repair broken concrete panels and smooth bumps along northbound Interstate 5 near Stanwood. Construction work will stretch for more than seven miles, from south of State Route 532 in Snohomish County to north of Starbird Road in Skagit County. Crews will repair and replace broken concrete panels, level and tie uneven panels together, and grind the rough driving surfaces smooth during the six-month construction project. An average of 59,000 vehicles use this stretch of I-5 daily. The road is rutted and cracked due to its age and high traffic volumes. The $4.7 million repair project is expected to employ approximately 45 people into the fall this year.
SR 6 Lebam - Contractor crews began installing centerline rumble strips on nearly 14 miles of SR 6 between Lebam in Pacific County and Pe Ell in Lewis County. Centerline rumble strips help reduce collisions resulting from cars crossing over into the oncoming lane. They create an audible vibration to warn motorists they have strayed from their lane. Close to 60 percent of the nation’s roadway fatalities result from drivers leaving their lane. Many of those fatalities happen in rural areas with two-lane roads. Installing centerline rumble strips will help increase motorist safety by aiding in the prevention of such collisions.
I-405 Tukwila - Crews closed a key on-ramp to I-405 on May 4 for two weeks as part of a project to reduce congestion in the area. Crews closed the on-ramp from Tukwila Parkway to northbound I-405 for 14 consecutive days, reopening at 6 a.m. on May 18. During the closure crews will rebuild and repave the ramp to match the width and height of the future new northbound lanes that will be built on I-405. The closure is part of the I-405/I-5 to SR 169 Stage 1 - Widening Project. The $91.5 million project is estimated to support 163 jobs in 2009 and 2010. WSDOT and contractor crews are building a new lane in each direction on I-405 between I-5 and SR 167 and a new lane on southbound SR 167 between I-405 and SW 41st Street. When complete in summer 2010, these project improvements will help relieve congestion at the I-405/SR 167 interchange and throughout the drive from Renton to Tukwila, one of the worst bottlenecks along the I-405 corridor.
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Announcements
Weekend single-lane closures on I-5 in Bellingham start May 8
Drivers who use I-5 in Bellingham will want to plan some extra time into their schedules starting May 8. Crews will close one lane of southbound I-5 for the entire weekend to remove and replace bridge approach panels near the Northwest Avenue exit. The foundation material for the bridge approach panels is breaking down, causing the panels to sink and creating a bump for drivers crossing the bridge. Crews will replace foundation material and install new panels during the weekend lane closures. This will be the first of two weekend-long closures. Crews will need to close the right lane the last weekend in May to complete the panel replacement.
The panel replacement is part of a project to repair and replace cracked concrete panels and install dowel bars along a five-mile stretch of southbound I-5. This section of southbound I-5 is the original roadway constructed in the late 1950s. The concrete panels are settling and cracking and need to be repaired to improve safety for the approximately 25,000 drivers who use this stretch of I-5 daily.
I-90 paving in Spokane starts on May 18
Contractors for WSDOT will start a major Interstate 90 resurfacing job in the Spokane metro area on Monday, May 18. Concrete pavement rehabilitation and hot mix asphalt paving will get underway on I-90 from the Division Street Interchange in downtown east to the Custer Street pedestrian overpass near the Spokane east city limits. In addition to resurfacing on the freeway through lanes, many of the asphalt on and off ramps in the Spokane area will be repaved. Ramps as far west as Geiger Blvd. and east to Sullivan Road will be resurfaced. New signs along the freeway are included in this job.
The project will eliminate the severely rutted highway surface and provide motorists with a smoother ride.
“The concrete pavement through east Spokane is the original surface that was opened to traffic in 1957,” said Keith Metcalf, WSDOT Eastern Region Administrator. “It has performed well but just cannot stand up to the high volume of studded tire use in this area anymore. The subsequent ruts are a safety concern and, although they won’t hold up as long, the new asphalt pavement layers should last several years before resurfacing is needed again.”
Inland Asphalt Company of Spokane is the prime contractor on this $8,091,333 project. The job is estimated to support or sustain approximately 80 jobs.
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May events
14, Thursday, 10:30 a.m., Groundbreaking, I-5 Mountlake Terrace Freeway Station - Mountlake Terrace: Sound Transit is hosting a groundbreaking ceremony for a new project that will bring regional, express bus service to Mountlake Terrace for the first time. The project consists of new bus ramps and a freeway station in the median of Interstate 5 and will connect to the existing transit center via a pedestrian bridge. By providing a safe, sheltered crossing over the interstate for bus riders, the freeway station will be a key connection for those traveling between Snohomish and King counties. Location: 6001 236th Street SW, Mountlake Terrace.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Express Lane Archive
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