A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Washington Jobs Now - WSDOT completes first stimulus funded paving project on I-90 in Ellensburg
I-90 paving near Ellensburg wrapped up in early July, making it the first state highway stimulus project to be completed. |
WSDOT and our contractor crews completed work to repave I-90 near Ellensburg in early July. The I-90 Yakima River to west Ellensburg paving project finished ahead of schedule, on budget, and is one of Washington’s first American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) projects to finish construction.
The new roadway surface will provide a smoother ride and require less repair work, which will reduce maintenance costs and extend the life of the pavement. Crews also updated safety features such as guardrails, striping, and signing.
“I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass is the gateway to Ellensburg and the rest of central and eastern Washington,” said Don Whitehouse, Regional Administrator of WSDOT’s South Central Region. “These improvements, along with the other projects planned for I-90, will keep business and freight moving across the central Cascades.”
Columbia Asphalt employee Jason Antijunti gained more experience while working on the I-90 project. |
Construction on the west Ellensburg project began in late April, making it the first ARRA-funded project to put people to work in the state. The project supported an estimated 25 jobs. One of those jobs went to Buddy Blackburn, a Columbia Asphalt and Gravel truck driver who was fearful of lay offs. “If I didn’t have this work, it would be extremely difficult to look for a job in this market,” said Buddy. “The most important thing in life is supporting and spending time with my family.”
The stimulus projects also provide valuable training and experience to Washington’s workforce. According to Jason Antijunti, a grader operator with Columbia Asphalt, “The stimulus job gave me more seat time and enabled me to learn more of the trade. It feels great, and this project has helped my career a lot. The ARRA has also helped ease my mind when it comes to income and makes life a little less stressful.”
Another successful part of this project was Columbia Asphalt and Gravel’s commitment to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE). Columbia Asphalt was required to contract six percent of their work with a DBE company. At the end of the contract, Columbia paid out almost 11% of the construction contract to a DBE company, exceeding the required amount by almost five percent.
Drivers should plan ahead for additional construction on I-90 this summer. Five additional preservation and safety projects are underway or will begin construction this season.
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Maintenance & Operations feature: WSDOT is testing a new, improved way to use the same fuel found in your backyard grill
WSDOT is testing a new propane-powered truck as one way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. |
WSDOT is taking a test drive of a new propane-powered, ¾-ton truck this week as Maintenance crews put it through its paces. Crews tested the vehicle's performance at WSDOT Maintenance sites in Vancouver, Kelso, Chehalis and Seattle while the news reporters looked on. WSDOT tried propane and compressed natural gas trucks before, but technology available in the past lacked the performance needed for maintenance vehicles.
“We are excited to test this improved technology,” said Greg Hansen, WSDOT Transportation Equipment Manager. “The environmental benefits are very encouraging. If the truck performs as promised and we receive positive feedback from Maintenance crews and other users, we will try and secure grants to convert some of our gas-powered vehicles.”
WSDOT’s fleet of gas-powered ¾-ton trucks traveled more than 2.3 million miles from July 2008-July 2009, using 213,000 gallons of gas. Propane is a clean-burning fuel that can produce 18 percent fewer greenhouse gases, 20 percent less Nitrous Oxide, 60 percent less Carbon Monoxide and less particulate matter than gas.
This pilot project is just one way WSDOT is exploring ways to lower emissions, meet federal emissions standards, address Climate Change and overall sustainability.
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Update of projects under way
I-5 Woodland - Construction to repair a bridge that carries southbound I-5 over the North Fork Lewis River starts Sunday night, July 19. The I-5, North Fork Lewis River Bridge – Southbound Expansion Joint replacement project was awarded in May to Mowat Construction of Woodinville, with a winning bid of $329,023. The project replaces a deteriorating expansion joint and repairs damaged asphalt. The southbound I-5 North Fork Lewis River Bridge was built in 1940 and carries an average of 34,000 vehicles per day.
I-5 Stanwood - Drivers saw the first visible signs of construction on July 13, as crews ramp up for the stimulus-funded southbound Interstate 5 repair project near Stanwood. Crews will repair broken concrete panels and smooth bumps along six miles of southbound I-5, between State Route 532 in Snohomish County and Starbird Road in Skagit County. Repairing the pavement will reduce costly temporary repairs, provide drivers with a safe and smooth ride, and ensure that the roadway will last well into the future. The $9.2 million project, completely funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will support an estimated 60 direct and indirect jobs between now and spring 2010.
US 12 White Pass - Crews began work on July 16 to pave two miles of US 12 over White Pass and replace guardrail along the highway. The project was awarded in May to Granite Construction of Yakima, with a winning bid of $608,608. Crews will grind out old pavement on US 12 to prepare for paving operations starting on Monday, July 20. This project is scheduled for completion in August. WSDOT will continue to inform the public of traffic impacts as work progresses.
SR 20 Burlington - With the ceremonial unveiling of a new highway sign, business leaders, local officials and legislators officially marked the completion of the “missing link” in SR 20 widening between Anacortes and Burlington on July 16. WSDOT’s $118-million project widened a five-mile stretch of SR 20 between SR 536 and the I-5 interchange and transformed the congested two-lane highway into a wider, safer four-lane highway. Crews began in spring 2007, working to widen and improve the highway near its intersection with SR 536. Opening the new I-5 on- and off-ramps in June was the last major milestone for crews. SR 20 to the west of I-5 serves several communities including Anacortes and its ferry terminal, the main transportation access to the San Juan Islands. On an average day, more than 22,000 vehicles use the highway.
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Announcements
Western states’ transportation directors name Hammond as association president
Washington Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond was unanimously elected by transportation directors from 18 states to serve as president of the Western Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (WASHTO) during the organization's annual meeting this week in Seattle. Texas Transportation Department Executive Director Amadeo Saenz was also elected as vice president. Both officers' terms will run through July 2010.
As WASHTO president, Hammond will work along with the other 17 states to influence federal transportation issues like SAFETEA-LU reauthorization, climate change policy and ARRA (stimulus) project delivery.
WASHTO membership includes departments of transportation from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Hawaii, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming and Washington.
Artist Point opens July 14; crews mark fastest opening ever
Crews cleared the road to Artists Point at the end of SR 542 in Whatcom County. |
Crews opened the road to Artist Point on July 14, after just five days of snow-clearing work, making this the fastest opening ever.
Artist Point is located at the end of Mount Baker Highway, State Route 542, and boasts 360-degree views of Mount Shuksan and Mount Baker, as well as access to a variety of trails.
Crews began clearing the road July 6. There was very little snow on the highway for the first mile, allowing crews to open the road to the Terminal Lake parking lot on the first day. From there, things got tougher. The snow averaged 8 to 15 feet deep between the Terminal Lake parking lot and the upper parking lot. And the snow was 10 to 15 feet deep in the upper parking lot. When compared to the 2008 opening, the snow was 6 feet deep at the lower gate, it averaged 17 feet deep over most of the road, and it was 20-plus feet deep in the upper parking lot.
Artist Point typically opens in July and remains open until the first substantial snowfall of the year, which usually comes in late September or early October. In 2008, Artist Point opened July 18 and closed Oct. 6. Artist Point never opened during the summer of 1999 because of record snowfall the previous winter.
I-90 floating bridge reopens to traffic July 18
After nearly two weeks of tough commutes, relief is in sight for drivers who travel westbound I-90. By 5 a.m. Saturday morning, traffic will shift back to the westbound mainline lanes of the I-90 floating bridge as crews sprint to complete major repair work. During this work, drivers minimized severe backups along the corridor by shifting when they traveled, or skipped traveling altogether.
Crews spent nearly two weeks tearing out and replacing two massive expansion joints on the I-90 floating bridge. Cranes tucked the huge joints into position the weekend of July 10, and crews poured concrete July 21. Good weather and experience from replacing similar joints in May on the I-90 express lanes led the contractor and WSDOT to draft a solid plan for these two weeks of construction. Work to replace the joints in the westbound mainline lanes began July 5.
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July open houses, meetings and events
21, Tuesday, 11 a.m. - noon, groundbreaking ceremony, US 97A Wildlife Fence - Wenatchee: WSDOT will host a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction for the US 97A Wildlife Fence project. This is the first stage of the project to separate big horn sheep from vehicles on US 97A. Location: Rocky Reach Dam Visitor Center, upper picnic shelter, 4 miles north of Wenatchee.
21, Tuesday, 6 - 8 p.m., open house, SR 9 and SR 531 Intersection Improvements - Arlington: WSDOT project engineers will host an open house to share information about potential safety improvements at the SR 9/SR 531 interchange and answer questions from citizens. WSDOT has $15.6 million to design and make safety improvements to the intersection by 2011. Location: Arlington High School, 18821 Crown Ridge Boulevard, Arlington.
24, Friday, 12 - 2 p.m., Chamber meeting, I-90 Presentation - Snoqualmie: I-90 Project Director Randy Giles will provide the Snoqualmie Chamber of Commerce an update on the I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East project and the I-90 American Recovery and Reinvestment projects. Location: TPC Golf Course at Snoqualmie Ridge, 7638 Dogwood Lane SE, Snoqualmie.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Express Lane Archive
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