A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Washington Jobs Now - Disadvantaged Business Enterprise firms benefit from ARRA projects
Cates & Erb, Inc., a Native American-owned DBE construction firm from Omak, was first in the nation to receive ARRA Bonding Assistance. |
Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) is a program to increase the opportunities for qualified minority and women-owned small businesses to participate in federally-funded projects, such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) projects. For some DBE firms, those opportunities would be lost without knowing what resources are available to them. That’s where WSDOT’s Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) has stepped up to help DBE firms be successful participating in ARRA projects.
“One of the ways we can help disadvantaged, minority and women-owned businesses is by providing them opportunities to meet with prime contractors,” said WSDOT Office of Equal Opportunity Director Brenda Nnambi. “We host events that draw in both prime contractors and DBE subcontractors so that they can network and begin building work relationships. The events also give us a venue to talk about WSDOT’s programs and other assistance and resources that are available to them.”
WSDOT is hosting a Contractor Meet & Greet event on October 30. The event not only offers networking opportunities for prime contractors and subcontractors, but will also include breakout sessions on the new ARRA Bonding Assistance program. To reserve a spot, RSVP to DBESS@wsdot.wa.gov. The event will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at: South Seattle Community College - Georgetown Campus, Puget Sound Industrial Excellence Center, Apprenticeship & Education Center, 6737 Corson Avenue South, Seattle.
Targeted outreach is helping firms to benefit from federal assistance programs. One of Washington's DBE/MBE firms, Cates & Erb, Inc. received the first eligible ARRA Bonding Assistance award in the nation on September 25, 2009. The Recovery Act provided $20 million for DBE bonding assistance. The funds can be used to reimburse small and disadvantaged companies for bonding fees and payments. The award to Cates & Erb was in the amount of $13,000 for a $979,000 bond. Cates & Erb is a Native American-owned firm that applied for ARRA Bonding Assistance for the Oroville and Omak local projects on which they are the prime contractor.
Outreach efforts assist contractors and DBE subcontractors in making the necessary connections to deliver ARRA projects. For the 33 WSDOT-administered ARRA contracts that have been awarded, every prime contractor who made a commitment to hire DBE firms for a percentage of the work has met or exceeded their DBE goal.
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Maintenance & Operations feature - Trucker's missed exit snarls I-5 traffic for hours
WSDOT bridge engineers inspect an I-5 overpass in Tacoma after the bridge was struck and damaged by an oversize load. The incident snarled traffic for hours. |
WSDOT started spreading the news as quickly as possible but Tacoma motorists heading south on I-5 Wednesday, Oct. 14, found out firsthand that height restrictions on highways exist for a reason, and when not heeded, can make for a terrible commute.
Reports of an oversized load striking the New York Avenue bridge over southbound I-5 in Tacoma came into WSDOT's Olympic Region Traffic Management Center at 2:42 p.m. This started a chain of actions by WSDOT's Traffic Safety Systems operators to alert Incident Response and Bridge crews, activate the electronic message sign at 84th Street, talk with the Washington State Patrol’s Communications Center and notify the WSDOT region's Communication Office. When an incident like this occurs many tasks are done simultaneously to alert first responders and to let the traveling public know that delays are eminent.
The driver of an oversized load missed the last exit he could take to avoid the overpass. He took his chances by taking the over-height load under the overpass and lost. The truck struck the overpass and pieces of concrete covered I-5 and a huge piece of rebar hung dangerously overhead.
Maintenance crews responded quickly to sweep the debris off the roadway and help remove the dangling rebar while bridge engineers inspected the overpass. Incident Response assisted the WSP with traffic control. Crews closed the center and two right lanes, leaving only the left lane for motorists to squeeze by. WSP called in the Pierce County Sheriff to assist closing the New York Avenue overpass to traffic until the Bridge crew could determine if the structure was safe for travel.
By 3:50 p.m. all but the right lane had reopened to traffic and the Bridge crew determined the damages were just superficial and the overpass was safe for traffic. All lanes were cleared by 4:10 p.m. but the residual backup was seven miles to SR 16 and didn’t dissipate until well into the evening commute.
WSDOT's Commercial Vehicle Services division maintains a Web site listing all oversize and overweight restrictions for state highways so that truckers can "know before you go."
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Update of projects under way
SR 17 & SR 282 Moses Lake - WSDOT and local officials celebrated completion of the stimulus-funded SR 17, SR 282 paving and passing lane project about a mile west of Moses Lake on Oct. 22. The 13-mile paving project will extend the roadway’s life and increase its weight carrying capacity, while improving safety with a smoother driving surface, new striping and signage. Crews also built two 12-foot-wide passing lanes on SR 17 between the Grant County Airport and Rocky Ford Creek to improve mobility and safety. The $12.6 million project received $8.6 million from the Recovery Act and helped support some 75 jobs.
SR 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct - WSDOT maintenance crews conduct the SR 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct semiannual inspection on Oct. 24 and 25. In addition to structural inspections, WSDOT and the City of Seattle will coordinate maintenance and preservation work during this closure. Work will include surveying the structure to check for settlement, searching for and removing loose concrete, repairing expansion joints and damaged bridge rails. Crews will also apply a protective covering to exposed rebar, service drainage systems and traffic cameras and wash the walls of the Battery Street Tunnel as well as inspect its lighting and ventilation systems. WSDOT will release preliminary inspection results on Oct. 30, 2009.
SR 539 Lynden - WSDOT opened another new roundabout on the Guide Meridian (SR 539) between Bellingham and Lynden. Crews opened the roundabout at the intersection of Wiser Lake Road on Oct. 21, helping to improve safety. The roundabout is open in a temporary one-lane configuration while crews finish the center island curbing. They expect to have the roundabout open to its final, two-lane configuration within the next couple weeks. Crews have also reopened access to and from West Wiser Lake Road at the intersection. Access has been closed since early September. This is the third in a series of four roundabouts that are part of a larger $106.7 million project that will transform Guide Meridian into a safer and less congested four-lane divided highway from Ten Mile Road to Lynden.
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Announcements
WSDOT lifts ‘residents only’ restrictions on emergency detour for landslide closure on SR 410
WSDOT and contractor crews opened an emergency route around the landslide closure on SR 410 to all drivers on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Previously only local residents with identification could use the emergency route on Nile Loop Road. A massive landslide that occurred on Oct. 11 permanently changed the landscape and river dynamics in the Nile Valley area.
WSDOT advises drivers the SR 410 emergency route, which detours around a four-mile section between mileposts 104 and 108, is a rough, gravel-surfaced road. WSDOT could close the roadway for the safety of drivers at anytime if landslide activity or an increase in river flows is detected. While keeping the roadway open is important for residents and businesses along the SR 410 corridor, motorist safety will not be compromised. WSDOT will keep Chinook Pass open until heavy snows create unavoidable avalanche danger.
Crews are still working on portions of Nile Loop Road and drivers on the emergency route could experience long delays due to construction activities. Safety is WSDOT’s number one priority and drivers will not be allowed to stop or park on the emergency route. WSDOT and Yakima County continue to work on a winter-durable detour and widen the river channel to buy the time necessary to construct the detour. The route, which WSDOT is surveying and designing, will be built further away from the river, and will be durable enough to withstand the winter months and the rise and fall of the new river channel.
US 97 Oroville border crossing traffic cameras come on line
The newest additions to the traffic camera images available on WSDOT Web site are located at the US-Canada border crossing near Oroville in Okanogan County.
Demand for US 97 border crossing cameras has grown as both freight and tourism traffic has increased in the Lake Osoyoos-Oroville corridor, but the traffic volumes anticipated for the 2010 Olympics next February, prioritized the project for funding now. The goal is to increase safety, access, and mobility for those on their way into Canada. Mobility has become a significant problem with wait times as long as an hour. Monitoring congestion and providing real-time information in advance of the border, will allow travelers to make better decisions.
Two electronic message signs were installed approximately five miles south of the border on US 97, both north and south of Oroville. The project installed a traffic monitoring system at the border to track the time a vehicle takes to get from one measured point to the next and that information is automatically displayed on the signs back in Oroville. There are four traffic cameras: Two at the border crossing facing north and south; and two more, a mile south of the border, facing north and south. The $250,000 camera, sensor and sign installation was funded from a federal mobility and safety grant.
Air search suspended for missing pilot
WSDOT suspended the air search for missing Lake Roesiger pilot, Gordon Last, 51, and his Taylorcraft two-seat airplane on Oct. 20. Last has been missing since Saturday, Oct. 10. The air search began on Sunday, Oct. 11 and lasted through Monday, Oct. 19. Rescue teams flew for a total of about 250 hours and about 175 personnel participated in the search. Two helicopters from King and Snohomish counties also aided in the air search.
Last’s plane departed from Harvey Field Airport in Snohomish on Oct. 10 and he was expected to return to Harvey Field later that afternoon. His girlfriend reported him as missing when he failed to return. Due to witness and radar information, search teams focused on the area between Shelton and Westport. The area is about 1,900 square miles covering Grays Harbor County, the southeast corner of Thurston County and a small piece of northwest Lewis County. According to reports, the plane had no emergency locator beacon or transponder on board, and no flight plan was filed.
Anyone who may have information on this aircraft is still encouraged to contact the search staff at missingaircraft@wsdot.wa.gov or call 360-410-0461.
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October open houses
28, Wednesday, 4 - 7 p.m., Open house, I-5, SR 432 Talley Way Interchange - Longview: WSDOT will hold an open house to present project details and traffic impacts for the I-5, SR 432 Talley Way Interchange project. Staff will be available to answer questions and take feedback from community members. Location: Cowlitz PUD building, 961 12th Avenue, Longview.
28, Wednesday, 6 - 8 p.m., Open house, SR 9, SR 531 Intersection Roundabout - Arlington: WSDOT engineers invite the public to an open house to review plans for a new roundabout at the intersection of SR 9 and 172nd Street (SR 531) near Arlington. Community members will have an opportunity to view design plans and talk with project engineers. Location: Arlington High School, 18821 Crown Ridge Blvd., Arlington.
Express Lane Archive
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