A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Washington Jobs Now - Long overdue bridge painting project in Wenatchee is funded through ARRA
This 100-year old bridge across the Columbia River in Wenatchee will get a new coat of paint, thanks in part to ARRA funds. |
Work is underway to re-paint the 100 year-old Columbia River Bridge and stimulate the Wenatchee area economy at the same time.
The 1,000-foot long bridge between Wenatchee and East Wenatchee supports a huge irrigation pipe and a pedestrian and bicycle path, which is part of the ten-mile long Apple Capital Loop Trail. The City of Wenatchee maintains and operates the bridge and along with local agency partners, recently completed more than a $100,000 in structural repairs to the century-old bridge so it could continue to be used as a critical link in this unique, nationally recognized trail.
The city also determined that the future of the bridge was dependent on significant preservation measures; chief among them, a paint job. The price tag for the first repainting since the bridge was built in 1908 was well beyond the resources of the City and its partners. A solution came in the form of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. The project was funded for $1,506,749 to clean, paint, illuminate, and add safety and security features.
Gary Owen, Wenatchee City Engineer, said its not as easy as it might sound, “The project entails cleaning the entire structure with high pressure water, rust removal with hand tools, priming of bare metal, and painting of the entire structure with two coats of paint. All water and debris must be pumped off the bridge and placed in containers, tested, and disposed of in a sewer treatment plant for the filtered water and a landfill for the paint chips and other debris.”
The bridge must be closed to bikes and pedestrians while the work is underway. At the same time, the SR 285 Senator George Sellar Bridge, just a few hundred yards downstream had been closed to pedestrian traffic since May due to a construction project adding another eastbound lane. That project removes the sidewalks from the bridge, replacing them with a new structure being added to the south side of the bridge, but that facility won’t be finished until late next year.
The pipeline bridge closes to traffic by October 1 and the Sellar Bridge sidewalk and trail connection will open by then. It is likely, that due to weather, the pipeline bridge painting project will have to shut down for winter and finish next spring. The contractor for the project is F.D. Thomas, Inc. of Central Point, Oregon.
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Maintenance & Operations feature - Highway fatalities in Washington are at the lowest level in 54 years
WSDOT is a traffic safety partner in engineering, education, enforcement and emergency response - all targeted at reducing collisions. |
Traffic fatalities in Washington have hit their lowest level since 1955. The news is encouraging to state officials who are working toward “Target Zero,” the goal of having zero traffic-related fatalities or serious injuries by 2030.
To date, 522 deaths have been reported for 2008. That’s the lowest since 461 people died in 1955. The 2008 count will not be final until Dec. 31, and it’s possible a small number of delayed reports could still be received.
At least some of the good news is attributed to increased usage of seat belts. The number of deaths in which the victim was unbelted has dropped by more than a third since 2000. Washington has a 96.5 percent seatbelt usage rate, third-highest in the nation. Only Michigan and Hawaii have higher seatbelt use rates.
Along with enforcement, the other three components of Target Zero are education, engineering and emergency medical services. The Washington Traffic Safety Commission funds extra enforcement through grants to law enforcement agencies. The Commission also funds educational outreach, sometimes including radio or TV ads that alert drivers to ongoing patrols. The engineering component of Target Zero involves occupant protection built into vehicles, and highway engineering. Well-engineered roads reduce fatalities by being more forgiving of driver error.
By working together, traffic safety partners throughout Washington are aligning and leveraging its resources toward reaching the goal of zero fatalities.
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Update of projects under way
I-5, SR 501 Ridgefield - Construction for a new I-5, SR 501 Ridgefield Interchange officially began Sept. 8. The $28 million project improves safety and mobility on I-5, SR 501 and adjacent roads by building a wider bridge to take SR 501 over I-5 and lengthening the I-5 on-ramps. Nighttime work started Sept. 16 as crews closed lanes of I-5 near the existing SR 501 bridge (mile post 14.21) to install guardrail in the median in preparation for constructing the new bridge. WSDOT will reduce traffic impacts for this project by only allowing lane closures on I-5 at night. The project is funded through state and local funding sources and received American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds earlier this year, allowing WSDOT to begin construction earlier than anticipated. The project is expected to be completed in late 2011 or early 2012 and support nearly 200 direct and indirect jobs in local communities.
I-90 Snoqualmie Pass - Work is taking place around the clock to complete the first phase of a concrete preservation project on I-90 from Easton (milepost 70) near Cle Elum (milepost 80) before the first snowfall. Lane restrictions may cause weekend travelers of I-90 to experience up to two hours of additional travel time during their trip. Travel graphs are available online to help motorists plan their trip. Please visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/i90/lkeastontobullfrogwb/ to view this useful tool and to learn more about the Lake Easton to Bullfrog project. While on the road, drivers can tune into the Highway Advisory Radio at 1610 AM and 530 AM and dial 5-1-1 from their hands-free device for current conditions.
I-90 Spokane - Crews continue a pavement improvement project on I-90 through Spokane. From Division Street to the Hamilton Interchange lanes are being smoothed with a concrete grinding process. From Hamilton to Custer Street (near Havana) the concrete will be resurfaced with an asphalt overlay. In the Valley, a 1,500 foot test segment of westbound I-90 will be resurfaced. In addition, a majority of the on and off ramps between the Geiger Interchange and the Sullivan Road will be resurfaced. As part of this project, some short sections of adjacent city streets will be paved.
I-405 Bellevue - Where four lanes of I-405 once squeezed through the Wilburton tunnel, six lanes will now help relieve a long-standing afternoon chokepoint. On Sept. 22, crews opened a southbound HOV lane that will allow carpoolers and buses to directly connect from SE Eighth Street to I-90. This lane, coupled with a general purpose lane that opened in April, will bring relief to Eastside commuters. The new lane is part of the $124 million I-405 South Bellevue Widening Project that is adding lanes along four miles of I-405 between 112th Avenue SE and SE Eighth Street. On weekdays about 100,000 drivers travel southbound I-405 daily in this area. Opening this lane marks a significant milestone in the project. WSDOT will wrap up this project by the end of the year.
SR 522 Bothell - Students at the UW Bothell/Cascadia Community College campus will have a new way to get to school when classes start on Sept 28. Crews opened new ramps and lanes on Sept. 25, giving drivers direct access to the campus from SR 522 and from I-405. A new signal on SR 522 will help keep traffic safely moving at the new campus access road. The project will also reduce congestion and enhance safety on I-405 and SR 522 in Bothell. Crews added an additional exit lane from southbound I-405 to westbound SR 522. They also built a bridge to allow drivers coming from I-405 to bypass the new signal and continue directly onto SR 522 in Bothell. WSDOT's contractor Mowat Construction completed the $52.3 million project eight months ahead of schedule.
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Announcements
WSDOT Ferries Division begins fall schedule Sunday, September 27
The Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division (WSF) begins its fall schedule on Sunday, September 27. Customers can pick up new, purple schedules at terminals and on vessels.
Fall schedule changes include:
- WSF will return to making only one round trip sailing per day between Anacortes and Sidney, B.C. at 7:45 a.m. daily beginning Sunday, September 27.
- King County Water Taxi will assume operation of the Seattle/Vashon passenger-only route on Monday, September 28, with a new schedule and fares. For more information, visit King County’s Web site at http://www.kingcounty.gov/transportation/kcdot/Marine/WaterTaxi.aspx.
- Beginning Thursday, October 1, Southworth passengers going to Vashon to travel on the Water Taxi to Seattle must purchase their fare at Southworth, and payment receipts will be collected upon disembarking at Vashon Island.
For other route-specific changes, visit http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/gov and download the fall schedule.
WSDOT closer to a reopening date for the US 97 Beebe Bridge
WSDOT hopes to be able to allow limited traffic over the US 97 Beebe Bridge by the end of the month - perhaps as early as next Monday, Sept. 28. The bridge over the Columbia River at Chelan Falls was closed by a truck collision on August 31. The damage to the bridge is extensive, requiring fabrication of not only replacement trusses, beams and plates, but also of unique tools to accomplish the repairs. Since then, vehicles haven’t been allowed on the sagging bridge deck. Only limited daily pedestrian crossings have been allowed since Sept. 8.
If crews are successful with the work to install special “jacks”, over the next few days, heavier repair equipment can be placed on the bridge allowing work to be accomplished that will strengthen and stabilize the structure to allow single lane, piloted traffic. The jacks have been designed to absorb the weight that is now being supported by the damaged bridge members. Once the “jacks” are in place, the work to remove and replace the bent and broken trusses and beams can begin. Specialty steel manufacturers have been working around the clock for the past two weeks, building parts as quickly as bridge engineers have been able to determine the design specifications.
Local transportation projects recognized by FHWA and WSDOT as 2009 “Award of Excellence” winners
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Washington State Department of Transportation announced the 2009 Award of Excellence winners for local agency transportation projects. North Bend, Clark County, Wenatchee and King County were recognized as having the “best of the best” community projects throughout Washington.
This annual awards program recognizes federally-funded local agency transportation projects that have achieved excellence in safety enhancements, construction, innovative design, environmental compatibility, and community involvement and satisfaction. The award categories are: Best City Project, Best County Project, Best Special Project and the Director’s Award.
The award winners were:
- Best County Project: Clark County – Hwy 99 Bridge over Salmon Creek
- Best City Award: City of North Bend – North Bend Way Roundabout
- Best Special Project: City of Wenatchee - Brick Street Preservation
- Director's Award: King County - Tolt River Bridge
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September events
30, Wednesday, 11 a.m. - noon, Opening celebration, Martin Way Park & Ride lot - Lacey: Secretary of Transportation Paula Hammond will join Intercity Transit and local officials to celebrate opening of the newly expanded Martin Way Park & Ride lot. Location: Martin Way Park & Ride, I-5 and Martin Way, Lacey.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Express Lane Archive
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