A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Washington Jobs Now - Driving over Snoqualmie Pass at night? Check our new low-light cameras before you go
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ARRA funds allowed WSDOT to install new low-light traffic cameras on I-90 at Snoqualmie Pass. Nighttime drivers will see an image similar to this when they check pass conditions.
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If your Thanksgiving plans include traveling on I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass, viewing road conditions at night has gotten a little easier. Thanks to funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), WSDOT and Signal Electric Crews Inc. of Kent have installed eight new low-light cameras with infrared illuminators on I-90 Snoqualmie Pass. These new cameras enable motorists to clearly view low-light or nighttime road conditions from the WSDOT Web page.
“Not only will WSDOT crews have a better idea of conditions on the roadway at night, drivers can also plan their evening trips based on the travel and weather conditions they see from the cameras and other information on our Web site,” said Rick Gifford, WSDOT Traffic Engineer.
Some existing cameras were replaced and several new ones were added. The cameras are located on I-90 from west of Snoqualmie Summit to Cle Elum at the following locations:
- East Bandera (milepost 46.8)
- Franklin Falls (milepost 51.3)
- Snoqualmie Summit (milepost 52)
- Hyak (milepost 55.17)
- Price Creek (milepost 61)
- Easton Hill (milepost 67.4)
- Easton (milepost 70.6)
- Cle Elum (milepost 84.6)
The public can view these cameras from the mountain pass condition Web page or WSDOT’s statewide traveler information page. Because weather changes minute by minute, WSDOT asks drivers to use the cameras as a tool along with other communication resources that include:
- Looking at weather forecasts and road temperatures throughout the state
- Checking for delays and viewing traffic conditions
- Dialing 5-1-1 to get the latest highway information
- Reading portable and overhead variable message signs
- Tuning into 1610 AM and 530 AM for the Highway Advisory Radio
Crews finished installing the cameras in September.
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Maintenance & Operations feature - WSDOT finishes the SR 410 winter-durable detour in time for Thanksgiving
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WSDOT keeps traffic moving on SR 410 after a massive landslide closed the highway in Oct. Here Selland Construction finishes paving the new detour roadway.
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'Tis the season to be thankful and the residents of the Nile Valley are thanking WSDOT for finishing paving on the SR 410 winter-durable detour before Thanksgiving. On Nov. 25, WSDOT and the contractor, Selland Construction, Inc., finished paving the realigned 4,000-foot-long section of the SR 410 detour. This portion of the detour was built across the valley and away from the river and landslide.
“We made a promise to this community that we would have this road paved by Thanksgiving and we fulfilled our promise,” said WSDOT Project Inspector, Corie Henke.
For the past 45 days, Selland Construction crews and WSDOT inspectors have been working seven days a week, 14 hours a day to ensure access for the SR 410 corridor. On Oct. 11, 2009 a massive landslide destroyed homes, displaced residents, disrupted businesses, buried a section of Highway 410, changed the direction and flow of the Naches River, and permanently changed the landscape of the Nile Valley.
“It’s quite a major accomplishment to rebuild a roadway like this in a just over a month,” said WSDOT Regional Administrator Don Whitehouse. “We could have never done this without the cooperation of landowners, our agency partners, and our contractor Selland Construction, Inc.
However, work in the Nile Valley isn’t done. WSDOT and Yakima County are building four Engineered Log Jams in the new river channel, to help keep the channel in place and minimize the risk of the river moving too close to the SR 410 detour. The man-made log jams will also provide habitat for fish. After Thanksgiving, WSDOT and Selland Construction will be installing guideposts, signs, and guardrail. WSDOT maintenance crews will patrol the new detour this winter to make sure the road is clear of snow and ice.
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Update of projects under way
I-5 Bellingham – Crews will remove two miles of cable median barrier along I-5 in Bellingham and install a new median barrier to help reduce serious and fatal injury collisions. Crews will replace the existing three-strand, low-tension cable median barrier between Fairhaven Parkway (exit 250) and Sunset Drive (exit 255) with four-strand, high-tension cable barrier. High-tension cable barrier provides increased tension to keep the cables taut even if some of the posts are knocked down. The additional fourth strand of cable expands the barriers range and will further reduce the potential for vehicles to cross over or under the median barrier. Crews installed the concrete support posts the week of Nov. 16 and then will return in December to install the cables. The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided $12 million in funding for retrofitting nearly 30 miles of cable median barrier on state highways and installing 662 miles of centerline rumble strips.
SR 16 Nalley Valley - Crews restriped eastbound SR 16 at Nalley Valley in Tacoma overnight on Sunday, Nov. 22, reopening lanes early Monday, Nov. 23. The work allows crews to shift eastbound traffic to a new alignment on a temporary bridge so that they can continue work on the new westbound Nalley Valley viaduct. Drivers can continue to expect congestion and a 40 mph speed limit through the work zone when the new temporary eastbound lanes open. The lanes reroute traffic so crews can begin constructing the temporary westbound lanes and preparing for the westbound traffic shift. That shift is scheduled for spring 2010 and reroutes traffic off the existing westbound SR 16 and onto the temporary lanes, allowing crews to complete the new SR 16 Westbound Nalley Valley viaduct in 2011.
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Announcements
Chuckanut Drive to remain closed through Thanksgiving
Both directions of Chuckanut Drive (SR 11) just south of the Whatcom/Skagit county line will remain closed for up to a week as crews work to remove loose rock and stabilize the steep hillside above the highway.
A three-mile stretch of Chuckanut Drive has been closed since Monday morning, Nov. 23, when a small rockslide brought down rock and debris across both lanes of the road. The hillside in this area is steep and the roadway is narrow; shoulders are almost nonexistent, so most of the material that comes down the hillside reaches the roadway and can be a danger to drivers. WSDOT geotechnical engineers closely examined the area on Nov. 24, and have concluded that it’s unsafe to reopen the roadway until the slope is stabilized.
WSDOT will work quickly to hire a contractor and begin stabilization work. Crews will remove loose rock – a process known as rock-scaling – and may bolt large boulders to the hillside to further stabilize the hillside. The work is expected to be completed by the end of next week. Drivers can access businesses along Chuckanut Drive from the south end of the highway in Skagit County.
WSDOT completes Stanwood Station project bringing passenger rail service back to community
Passenger rail service returned to the community of Stanwood/Camano Island for the first time in 38 years thanks to a new rail station completed by the WSDOT and Amtrak. This new station will allow Amtrak Cascades train service to make two morning and two evening stops daily in Stanwood. WSDOT hosted a Stanwood Station grand opening celebration on Saturday, Nov. 21 with the arrival of the first Amtrak Cascades train. Honorary guests included Senator Mary Margaret Haugen and Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond.
“The opening of this new station could not come at a better time with the 2010 Olympics right around the corner. Not only does the new stop give the community of Stanwood/Camano Island access to Amtrak Cascades intercity passenger rail service, which means more travel options to Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC., but it provides Olympics-bound travelers another option for getting on board Amtrak Cascades to Vancouver, BC,” said Paula Hammond, Washington Transportation Secretary.”
The $5 million project was funded by the state of Washington. It is located on the corner of 271st Street NW and the BNSF main line tracks in downtown Stanwood. The station was constructed by Interwest Construction of Burlington. Work on the station began in April 2009 and was completed under budget in mid November. Stanwood Station is an unstaffed platform and will not have any ticketing capabilities. Reservations may be made and paid in advance by visiting Amtrak.com online or by calling (800) USA-RAIL.
WSDOT and Bellevue wrap up two projects in time for the busy holiday season
Drivers have more options for getting around Bellevue thanks to more than $139 million in congestion relief projects wrapped up just before the annual holiday shopping season.
“We are seeing real benefits from our ongoing investment in the I-405 Corridor, with faster commutes and less congestion,” said Paula Hammond, Washington Transportation Secretary. “Part of our Moving Washington anti-congestion program includes strategically adding capacity and eliminating chokepoints. That’s exactly what we are doing with the Bellevue Braids project which will make the transition from I-405 to SR 520 much easier.”
The new NE 10th Street bridge over I-405, which connects Bellevue’s shopping district to its growing medical district, is expected to improve congestion through the downtown core. The city of Bellevue built the bridge entrance near Overlake Medical Center and Group Health Cooperative and WSDOT built the rest of the $15.7 million bridge, funded by the 2003 and 2005 gas tax increases.
South of the new NE 10th Street bridge, drivers have enjoyed increased travel speeds of up to 25 mph thanks to new lanes on I-405 between 112th Avenue SE and SE Eighth Street as part of the $124 million project. As part of widening project, crews tore down the old Wilburton tunnel last year, allowing them to expand the freeway to six lanes where the tunnel once restricted traffic flow to four. Crews also built a new southbound bridge over I-90 and installed quieter pavement in August.
WSDOT also ceremoniously broke ground on the new NE 8th to SR 520 ramps interchange project referred to as the “Bellevue Braids.” It received its name because the new ramps will crisscross each other to get northbound drivers out of Bellevue and east to Redmond or west to Seattle on SR 520. Atkinson Construction of Renton submitted the apparent best value proposal of $107.5 million to complete design and construction of the project, which it expects to begin in January. The project sped up by six months due to $30 million dollars in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) federal funding and uses the NE 10th Street bridge as an anchor for a ramp traveling directly to SR 520. The ramps are scheduled to be open to traffic by fall 2012.
WSDOT Aviation moves to Arlington Airport
After almost seven years at the Smokey Point Gateway Center, WSDOT Aviation is moving its offices to the Arlington Airport. The move is an opportunity for WSDOT to partner with the City of Arlington to share office space at the airport. The new office will be closer to Aviation’s customer base. Additionally, efficiencies will improve with better access to the state-owned aircraft and flight line.
The move will take place on Dec. 14 -16. WSDOT Aviation will be transitioning into its new office at the Arlington Airport; however, staff will be available at the Gateway Center location from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during these days to conduct normal business operations. The new office will open for business on Dec. 17. An open house for aviation customers and the community will be held Dec. 22. WSDOT Aviation's new address is: WSDOT Aviation, 18204 59th Drive NE, Suite B
Arlington, WA 98223.
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December open houses, meetings and events
2, Wednesday, Alaskan Way Viaduct - North Portal Working Group meeting - Seattle: The state, county and city departments of transportation established three working groups in April 2009 to help inform the design and environmental review process for the new SR 99 bored tunnel. The north portal working group will discuss access into and around the north entrance to the bored tunnel, urban design features and construction plans. This group will also discuss city street improvements, including aspects of the two-way Mercer Street project. Location: Seattle Aquarium, 1483 Alaskan Way, Seattle.
2, Wednesday, 4:30 - 7:30 p.m., Open house and environmental assessment, I-5 Reconstruct Interchange at NE 134th (Salmon Creek Interchange) - Vancouver: WSDOT and Clark County will host an open house to provide information about the purpose and need of the project and take public comments on the project's environmental assessment. The Salmon Creek Interchange Project will reduce traffic congestion and improve safety in the fast growing Salmon Creek area by constructing a new I-5 interchange at NE 139th Street, improving the I-205 northbound off-ramp to NE 134th Street, and constructing other local road improvements. Location: 1800 NW Bliss Road, Vancouver.
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Express Lane Archive
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