A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Washington Jobs Now - WSDOT awards contract for I-5 paving in Lewis County
Crews will repair and repave a 13-mile section of I-5 in Lewis County, eliminating rough and rutted spots like this. |
Construction crews will be hard at work this summer on Interstate 5, between Koontz Road and Harrison Avenue in Lewis County. A $5.4 million contract was awarded to Lakeside Industries of western Washington for repairing and repaving this section of freeway. The project includes $3.58 million in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding. This allowed WSDOT to extend an existing paving project further to the south and complete the work this summer. The three-month project will support an estimated 45 jobs.
“This contract award brings us one step closer to construction and helping to employ workers in Lewis County,” said Washington Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond. “Our projects in Lewis and Cowlitz counties this summer will support over 100 jobs and repave nearly 32 miles through the I-5 corridor.”
This project paves both directions of I-5 between Koontz Road and Harrison Avenue in Lewis County. Eight miles of interstate will receive a new layer of asphalt in this 13-mile section of roadway, excluding the newly built and paved I-5, Rush Road to 13th Street project area. This project is scheduled for construction in June and expected to be complete in October.
Here is how Washington is delivering on the 2009 ARRA (as of May 8):
| Projects |
Total |
Governor
Certified |
Advertised |
Contract Awarded/
Under Construction |
| State |
34 |
34 |
24 |
9 |
| Local |
147 |
147 |
24 |
5 |
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Maintenance & Operations Feature - Crews reopen SR 504 at Mount St. Helens
WSDOT maintenance crews work on clearing the SR 504 Spirit Lake Highway, which was opened to traffic on May 14. |
WSDOT Maintenance crews reopened the SR 504 Spirit Lake Highway to traffic on May 14. For the last several weeks, crews have been clearing four feet of snow, and eight-foot drifts in places, from the highway between Hummocks Trailhead and the Johnston Ridge Visitors Center. WSDOT closes the highway each year due to hazardous snow conditions and the possibility of avalanches in some locations. The highway has been closed since December 12, 2008.
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Update of projects under way
I-90 Seattle - Crews reopened the I-90 express lanes on May 16 after major construction to install new expansion joints on the floating bridge. Good weather and swift construction crews allowed the I-90 floating bridge express lanes to reopen Saturday – a week sooner than previously scheduled. The work on the I-90 express lanes was crucial for keeping the floating bridge safe for drivers. The old joints, installed about 20 years ago, were cracked and engineers said the joints threatened to pop up into traffic and needed to be replaced. The I-90 express lanes closed May 3. Crews were given fewer than three weeks to chip concrete and cut free two massive steel expansion joints and replace them with new stronger joints. Two more joints will be installed July 5-28 on the westbound I-90 mainline across the bridge. The entire $8.3 million I-90 expansion joint project supports an estimated 80 jobs.
SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge - Crews removed the last of the old east half of the Hood Canal Bridge on May 11, making way for the new improved bridge components. Tugs pulled out of Hood Canal with the last piece of the old east-half in tow. The 770-foot roadway section was replaced with a 943-foot-long pontoon section that had been moored in Port Gamble Bay. The bridge closed for six weeks on May 1 to replace the east half and the trusses at both ends, resulting in a safer, wider, more reliable bridge. The Hood Canal Bridge retrofit and replacement – which is now 93 percent complete – will improve the existing east half, making it wider, safer and more reliable.
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Announcements
Gov. Gregoire’s signs historic transportation budget
Gov. Chris Gregoire signed on May 14 the $7.5 billion transportation budget for the 2009-2011 biennium, which includes the largest two-year construction budget ever for WSDOT. Gregoire noted that Legislative budget writers estimate the projects approved in this bill are expected to support or create 49,000 jobs.
“This budget couldn’t have come at a better time,” Gregoire said. “Not only will it greatly improve our transportation system, the projects I’m signing off on will ensure regular employment for tens of thousands of Washingtonians. This is a huge win for the entire state of Washington. We’re creating safer, more efficient ways of travel – while getting our economy back on track.”
Highlights of the transportation package include:
- Funding for three 64-car ferries and a fourth, which will either be a 64-car or 144-car ferry;
- Funding for critical safety, freight, and mobility projects – including I-90/Snoqualmie Pass, I-405 and the North Spokane corridor;
- Consolidation of licensing services offices, creating cost savings and better customer service; and
- Increased highway patrols for DUI enforcement
In addition to the transportation budget bill, the Legislature also approved legislation to fund the replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a deep bored tunnel. Lawmakers also appropriated funding to replace the state Route 520 bridge.
WSDOT seeks design-build contractors for I-405 Bothell Auxiliary Lane Project
WSDOT is preparing to tackle another chokepoint on I-405, requesting proposals from design-build contractors for the I-405, NE 195th to SR 527 - Auxiliary Lane Project near Bothell. The Bothell area project adds a northbound auxiliary lane on I-405 between NE 195th and SR 527, addressing a well-known afternoon commute choke point. The $51 million project received $40 million from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The project is expected to support approximately 400 jobs.
Four design-build contractor teams were selected to submit proposals -- Canyon Park Contractors, Granite Construction Company, Kiewit Pacific, and Tri-State Construction. The contractors will submit their proposals to WSDOT on July 30. WSDOT will announce the apparent best value proposal on Aug. 19. This project is scheduled to break ground before the end of the year and will be open to traffic by the end of 2010.
WSDOT begins construction on West 39th St. Bridge in Vancouver
Construction began this week on a new West 39th St. bridge that will improve safety at a congested railroad crossing and enhance connectivity between neighborhoods in the area. The Vancouver Rail Bypass and West 39th Street Bridge project increases safety and mobility for rail and local traffic by building new bypass tracks in the Vancouver rail yard and a new bridge, suitable for pedestrians and cyclists as well as vehicles, over nine sets of railroad tracks.
The project was awarded in April to Vancouver-based Cascade Bridge, LLC, with a winning bid of $11.65 million. The project is expected to support approximately 85 jobs. The bridge is expected to open to traffic in summer 2011, and the entire project is scheduled for completion in spring 2012.
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May meetings
20 & 21, Wednesday & Thursday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., monthly meeting, Washington State Transportation Commission - Olympia: The Transportation Commission is an independent state agency that provides a public forum for transportation policy development. As the State Tolling Authority, the Commission sets tolls for state highways and bridges and fares for Washington State Ferries. Location: Transportation Building, 310 Maple Park Avenue SE, Olympia.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Express Lane Archive
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