A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Washington Jobs Now - I-5 work to smooth the ride for thousands of motorists in Skagit and Snohomish counties
This summer crews will repair southbound I-5 near Stanwood. Similar work is now being done in the northbound lanes under a separate project. |
Highway construction crews will repair and replace cracked and broken concrete pavement along six miles of Interstate 5 in Skagit and Snohomish counties this summer. The project will repair the right lane of southbound I-5 between State Route 532 and Starbird Road, near Stanwood. This $9 million project is expected to employ approximately 60 workers during construction.
Without funding from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, this project would not be possible this year. Necessary repairs would have been delayed until funding became available.
This project will improve southbound I-5 near Stanwood by extending the life of the pavement and providing a smoother ride for travelers. Similar work has already started on a separate project in the northbound direction of I-5. Over the years, heavy traffic has slowly rocked the panels back and forth, causing them to loosen and create the familiar "bump bump bump" sound motorists hear and feel when they drive the highway. I-5 needs this work to preserve the highway for the nearly 60,000 passenger and freight vehicles that use it every day.
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Maintenance & Operations feature - Adopt-a-Highway groups help keep Washington's highways clean
The Port of Camas-Washougal Adopt-a-Highway group stacks bag of litter picked from SR 500 in east Clark County. Groups like these play a key role in keeping our highways clean of litter. |
The Department of Ecology estimates that each year more than 12 million pounds of trash are discarded or lost on state and county roads. We need your help to reduce this problem. Here’s how:
- Don’t litter - encourage family and friends to do the same
- Secure your load - you can be ticketed for violations
- Call the Litter Hotline if you see someone else littering, (1-866-LITTER-1). Offenders receive a warning letter, reminding them of the fines for littering.
Besides being unsightly, litter can be dangerous. Lit cigarette butts tossed from vehicle windows cause fires. Unsecured loads can cause collisions. Some have even been fatal.
Another way to help is by adopting a section of highway. By joining the Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) Adopt-a-Highway program and cleaning up a section of the highway four to six times per year, you will be part of the effort to keep the state clean and help save taxpayer dollars. WSDOT supplies all Adopt-a-Highway litterbags, safety materials and training. We’ll also pick up your full bags when you’re through.
Adopt-a-Highway groups are now more important than ever as the 2009-11 state budget cut $4 million from Department of Ecology litter pickup and prevention programs. Your efforts can help fill the substantial gap left by these budget cuts.
If you would like more information about the Adopt-a-Highway programs or want to adopt a Washington highway, please visit our website www.wsdot.wa.gov/operations/adoptahwy/.
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Update of projects under way
I-5 Grand Mound - Steady progress on the I-5 Grand Mound to Maytown widening project has crews poised to push past the halfway point. This $61.5 million construction project adds a third lane in each direction on an eight-mile stretch of I-5. To keep traffic moving, the new Scatter Creek and Maytown bridges are being built in stages. First, the center portion of each bridge is constructed, then the southbound side, and finally the northbound side. At each location, the end result is one structure spanning all lanes. The project broke ground in May 2008 and is scheduled for completion summer 2010.
SR 508 Morton - Repairs to a damaged bridge pier on the SR 508, Tilton River Bridge began on June 11. The bridge, located just west of Morton, was damaged during January 2009 winter storms, when the area endured a significant amount of flood damage, heavy debris in the rivers and rapid snow-melt. The damage consists of broken concrete and exposure under the foundation of the bridge pier created by the turbulent waters. Single-lane closures and legal-weight restrictions will continue until repair work is complete and an automated signal will direct all traffic. This will minimize stress to the affected pier under the eastbound lane. WSDOT estimates the project cost at approximately $700,000, and repairs are scheduled for completion by August 2009.
SR 538 Mount Vernon - Crews repaving the SR 538/Riverside Drive intersection in Mount Vernon completed their work more than three full days ahead of schedule on Friday, June 5. Work was scheduled to continue until 6 a.m. Monday, June 8. The Riverside Drive improvements are the first part of a $5.2 million project that also includes repaving a five-mile stretch of SR 536 and a half-mile of SR 538 in Mount Vernon. Construction at all three locations is expected to be complete by fall 2009.
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Announcements
WSDOT kicks off Eastside Corridor Tolling Study with Executive Advisory Group meeting
A group of elected officials and Washington Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond met in Kirkland on June 9 to kick off a summer-long study of the feasibility of implementing express toll lanes on I-405 and SR 167. The Washington State Legislature included a proviso in the 2009 transportation budget (Senate Bill 5352) directing WSDOT to engage local jurisdictions and the public in a series of work sessions around the feasibility of implementing express toll lanes as part of improvements to I-405 and SR 167.
An executive advisory group, which includes Hammond and the elected officials, will meet at least four times through October. WSDOT also will host several public meetings and events throughout the corridor to gather public testimony for an Eastside Corridor Tolling Study report that will be delivered to the Governor and the Legislature in January 2010.
WSDOT Ferries Division begins summer schedule June 21
WSDOT Ferries Division (WSF) will launch its summer 2009 ferry schedule on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 21, with additional vessels, sailings and service hours on the more popular tourism routes. The increased service levels will help locals and tourists alike take summer trips to the San Juan Islands, Whidbey Island, Vashon Island, and the Olympic Peninsula. The summer schedule runs through Sept. 26.
The new 2009 summer schedules are available at all ferry terminals and on the vessels. Summer service changes include:
- Anacortes/San Juan Islands: an additional vessel and increased hours of service.
- Anacortes/Sidney, B.C.: two daily trips instead of one
- Port Townsend/Keystone: additional weekend trips
- Mukilteo/Clinton: extra service on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights
- Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth: extra weekend service on both Saturday and Sunday
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June open houses, meetings and events
15, Monday, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Public meeting, Washington State Ferries - Port Townsend: WSDOT's Ferries Division (WSF) will hold a series of public meetings to provide information about what happened during the legislative session and to talk about plans for the year ahead at WSF. Location: Pope Marine Building, 100 Madison Street, Port Townsend.
19, Friday, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., ribbon cutting, I-405 Springbrook Creek Wetland Mitigation - Renton: WSDOT and City of Renton officials will celebrate completion of the 130-acre Springbrook Creek wetland and mitigation bank. The project includes an interpretive boardwalk trail through a portion of the site that will provide information about the benefits of wetlands and the habitat they support. The "bank" will provide mitigation for highway construction and city development projects prior to the impacts on wetlands and other aquatic resources. Location: SW 27th and Oakesdale Avenue SW, Renton.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Express Lane Archive
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