A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Washington Jobs Now - ARRA brings more jobs, more lanes to Pierce County
About 180,000 vehicles a day travel the stretch of I-5 between the King County line and Port of Tacoma Road. |
Bellevue-based Tri-State Construction, Inc. recently landed a $31.1 million WSDOT contract to extend the Interstate 5 high occupancy vehicle (HOV) network south from the King County line. This two-year project adds about three miles of carpool lanes on northbound and southbound I-5 from the King County line to the Port of Tacoma Road interchange in Fife. Total construction costs on this project in Pierce County are about $42 million – about $35 million of which is paid for by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding.
“The federal stimulus dollars have allowed us to advance our Pierce County HOV construction, which enhances the movement of people and goods, and help get our economy back on track by putting people to work,” said Washington State Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond. “We continue to live up to our end of the bargain by having our projects and our state’s contractors able to take full advantage of the ARRA funds.”
Tri-State’s bid amount of $31,095,383 is about 25 percent below estimated cost, continuing a trend directly linked to tough economic times. While the low bids allow Washington state to deliver more highway projects with federal stimulus dollars, they also reinforce how important these projects are for getting people back to work.
An estimated 130 jobs are supported by the I-5 Port of Tacoma Road Interchange to King County Line HOV project. Tri-State has committed to hiring two Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) firms and the contractor intends to reach 8.1 percent DBE participation on the project. The purpose of the DBE program is to ensure a level playing field for firms owned and operated by disadvantaged individuals on USDOT-assisted contracts and procurements.
WSDOT and the Tacoma/Pierce County HOV Program continue to piece together a series of improvement projects that include the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the widening and HOV lanes on State Route 16, the new northbound I-5 collector-distributor lanes between the Tacoma Mall and Tacoma Dome, and the ongoing work to replace the Nalley Valley Viaduct. The full congestion-relief and safety benefits of these projects will not be fully realized until all the connecting projects are complete.
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Maintenance & Operations feature - WSDOT partners with State Patrol to reduce truck collisions
WSP, WSDOT, Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Washington Trucking Association and local law enforcement officials kicked off the TACT program to reduce truck collisions on rural highways. |
Reducing the number and severity of highway collisions, particularly those involving commercial trucks, is the purpose behind a partnership effort between Washington State Patrol, WSDOT, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Washington Trucking Association and local law enforcement agencies. A new enforcement emphasis is taking place this month and in the fall on rural stretches of highway in Grays Harbor and Spokane counties.
The key message behind the "2009 Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Truck (TACT)" project is to leave more space for trucks. In Washington between 2005 and 2007, commercial vehicles were involved in nearly 5,000 collisions. On rural highways, the car's driver was at fault two-thirds of the time, causing the death of 175 people and injuries to another 450 people. TACT is not just about handing out fines for unsafe driving - it's about raising awareness and changing drivers' behavior through a campaign that includes road signs, newspaper and radio advertisements, posters, displays on trucks and on gas pumps - all to carry the message, "Leave more space - don't get a ticket."
WSDOT is supporting this campaign by fabricating and installing signs along the highways where the enforcement is targeted. Troopers and other law enforcement officers patrolled SR 8 and US 12 between Elma and Aberdeen in Grays Harbor County and on US 2 north of Spokane from July 13 - 24, looking for car and truck drivers who cut-off other drivers, tailgate, fail to yield, drive aggressively or speed. Washington Trucking Association is partnering with WSP during the program by providing a truck and driver for an officer to ride along and spot violators. Another two-week enforcement period will take place on September 14 - 25.
This is one way agencies are coming together to make Washington's highways safer for everyone. More information about Washington's partners in highway safety can be found at our Target Zero Web site.
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Update of projects under way
I-5 Seattle - Crews resumed nighttime pavement grinding work on I-5 between the Ship Canal Bridge and Shoreline on July 22. Crews will work weeknights from 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. through October. Two lanes of traffic will remain open through work zones at all times and WSDOT will provide signed detours for all ramp closures. The grinding work is part of the I-5 pavement repair project, fixing the worst areas of uneven pavement on northbound and southbound I-5 between the Boeing Access Road in South Seattle and the King /Snohomish County line and in the I-5 express lanes. Grinding the surface of I-5 improves road traction and drainage. Grinding the lanes on I-5 in Seattle is a work in progress. Each 12-foot lane requires crews to make several passes in order to grind the whole width of the lane. Until all of the pavement is ground, it is common to see the grooved pavement end abruptly in places.
I-5 Arlington - Crews opened a new I-5 off-ramp at the I-5/State Route 531 interchange in Arlington on July 23, after only four months of construction. Opening the new ramp marks the first major milestone in a project to reduce congestion and improve safety at the interchange. The ramp, located to the west of the existing I-5 off-ramp, is one of four that will be constructed or improved at the busy I-5/SR 531 interchange. More than 40,000 vehicles use this interchange daily. When the project is complete, drivers will benefit from a new two-lane ramp from westbound SR 531 to southbound I-5, wider on- and off-ramps to and from northbound and southbound I-5, and new right-turn lanes from eastbound SR 531 to I-5. These improvements will reduce back-ups and improve travel times at the I-5 / SR 531 interchange.
US 97 Goldendale - Workers started construction on a stimulus-funded WSDOT project that pave portions of US 97 near Goldendale, including Satus Pass. The $3.8 million US 97 – Centerville Rd. to Bickelton Rd. and Satus Pass project paves nearly 12 miles of US 97 between Goldendale and the Satus Creek bridge. US 97 is a major freight route and an essential link between central and southwest Washington. US 97 Satus Pass carries an average of 3,900 vehicles per day. The project is expected to support an estimated 35 direct and indirect jobs. The project began July 22 and is scheduled for completion in September.
US 101 Grays Harbor County - Construction on a project that improves safety and gives motorists a smoother ride on a 43-mile stretch of US 101 in Grays Harbor County began July 21. Crews will chip-seal the highway surface and add centerline rumble strips to US 101 from Hoquiam to Amanda Park. Chip-sealing repairs pavement damage and extends the life of the roadway. The treatment also improves safety for motorists by providing a smoother, skid-resistant driving surface. Centerline rumble strips are grooves or rows of raised pavement markers placed perpendicular to the direction of travel. As a vehicle passes over the rumble strips, noise and vibration are produced alerting inattentive drivers when they are crossing over into on-coming traffic. Work is set for completion by the end of September.
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Announcements
Hood Canal Bridge Project anchor connections pass 50 percent mark
Ongoing anchor connections on the east half of new SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge surpassed the 50 percent mark on July 17. WSDOT and crews from contractor Kiewit-General of Poulsbo finished the 12th of 20 connections Friday, keeping this portion of the project on schedule for completion in early September.
“One of our biggest goals of the project was achieved June 3 when we reopened the bridge to travelers,” said Dave Ziegler, Hood Canal Bridge Project Principal Engineer. “While making the anchor connections was not something that had to be completed in order to accomplish this, the work we’re doing is necessary to ensure the structure has additional stability for the coming winter weather – and well into the future.”
WSDOT replaced the Hood Canal Bridge’s east half and east and west trusses June 3, but the project is scheduled to continue through December 2009 as crews make connections to new east-half anchors, complete electrical upgrades, and make final adjustments.
New service alerts motorists to SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge openings
An e-mail and text message service that alerts motorists to SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge marine openings is now available. Those who subscribe receive a brief electronic message that lets them know when they’ll be delayed due to a marine opening or a traffic-impacting incident on the bridge.
The SR 104 Hood Canal floating bridge periodically opens its center draw span to allow tall marine vessels to pass by the bridge. Those openings stop traffic, often inconveniencing local drivers used to a quick trip across the 1.5-mile-long span. The alerts estimate the road-closure duration. The service does not alert subscribers when the bridge reopens to vehicular traffic.
To subscribe, go to: https://service.govdelivery.com/service/subscribe.html?code=WADOT_190, or visit the WSDOT Web site at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/, click on “E-mail updates” in the upper right-hand corner, type in your e-mail address, then click on “Hood Canal Bridge Alerts,” one of several WSDOT e-mail and text alert services.
Construction begins on the US 97A Wildlife fence project north of Wenatchee
A groundbreaking ceremony for a project meant to protect drivers from mule deer and bighorn sheep herds was held at Rocky Reach Dam north of Wenatchee on July 21. The US 97A Wildlife Fence project installs eight miles of 8-foot-tall fencing along the highway between Rocky Reach Dam and Entiat on the Chelan County side of the Columbia River.
The US 97A corridor between Wenatchee and Chelan has one of the highest mule deer mortality rates in Washington. As many as 160 deer are reported killed along the highway during a severe winter. It is anticipated that a 50 percent reduction in the total vehicle-wildlife collisions for the entire 40 mile corridor can be achieved with installation of the nine mile fence. The project will increase safety for the 6,000 motorists who drive the corridor each day, and protect valuable deer and bighorn sheep herds that live above the highway.
THG Construction, LLC will build the nearly $845,000 stage 1, which is the first 4.5 miles of fencing, projected to take a little over two months to complete. Stage 2, funded in WSDOT’s 2009-11 budget finishes the nine miles of 8-foot-tall wildlife fence on the west side of US 97A between Rocky Reach Dam and Spencer Canyon (MP 203 - 212).
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July meetings
29, Wednesday, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., meeting, SR 520 Legislative Workgroup - Seattle: Legislators and transportation officials will meet for the first "SR 520 Legislative Workgroup" to begin their task of developing recommendations for design and finance options for the SR 520 Bridge Replacement project. Their report is due to the Governor and Legislature in January 2010. Meetings are open to the public. Location: Sound Transit - Union Station, Ruth Fisher Boardroom, 401 So. Jackson Street, Seattle.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Express Lane Archive
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