A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Project of the Week - Ramp closures, ramp-metering kick off next phase of Nalley Valley construction
Aerial photo of the Nalley Valley viaduct in Tacoma. In the upper-right, you can see the bridge over SR 16 that crews are preparing to demolish. |
Getting from the Tacoma Narrows to I-5 is going to take more time the next few years due to traffic changes required to build a new SR 16 Nalley Valley viaduct.
“Traffic flow through Tacoma will bog down during construction, but the local economy gets a boost as this project creates more than 200 full-time construction-related jobs over the next three years,” said WSDOT Olympic Region Administrator Kevin Dayton.
Work activities that took place on Feb. 12 marked an important milestone for this project as crews closed two Sprague Avenue ramps and put traffic on a revised alignment in preparation for bridge demolition and the construction of temporary bridges. These changes, while necessary to do the work safely and efficiently, will cause additional congestion on SR 16. WSDOT plans to help manage traffic flow on eastbound SR 16 during construction by activating, for the first time, ramp meters at five on-ramps – Jackson, Pearl, Orchard, Center and Union.
“We expect traffic flow to suffer as a result of the Sprague Avenue ramp closures, the tighter roadway and the visual distraction caused by construction activities,” said WSDOT Olympic Region Administrator Kevin Dayton. “The ramp metering will help the flow of traffic on the mainline,” Dayton said, “but drivers should plan for delays through the duration of the Nalley Valley project.”
The 15,000 vehicles that use the two Sprague ramps each day will need to disperse to alternate routes and ramps, including Union Avenue – where traffic volumes could nearly double. The eastbound SR 16 ramp to Sprague Avenue stays closed through fall 2011. The Sprague Avenue on-ramp to eastbound SR 16/I-5 remains closed until completion of the Eastbound Nalley Valley project. The Sprague Avenue ramps connected to westbound SR 16 close later this year.
This $184 million project – funded primarily by the 2003 gas-tax funding package – eliminates the weave of traffic where vehicles from I-5 change lanes in order to merge onto SR 16 or exit at Sprague Avenue.
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Maintenance & Operations Feature - Help from ODOT speeds storm cleanup
The remote-controlled culvert cleaning machine in action. |
A small machine is making a big difference for WSDOT maintenance crews cleaning up after January flooding in Western Washington.
Flooding closed State Route 8 at Kennedy Creek Road in Thurston County for three days in early January. Receding flood waters revealed the 140-foot-long culvert beneath the roadway was packed with mud and debris.
“Typically, we clean this culvert with a drag line and bucket,” said Randy Moody, Aberdeen maintenance superintendent, “but this time the culvert was so densely packed we didn’t think we could get a drag line through the drain.”
Needing a new approach, Moody contacted the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) about a remote-controlled culvert cleaning machine he saw demonstrated at a bridge seminar last year. The culvert cleaner is a track-mounted machine equipped with a front bucket to scoop debris and remove it from the drain.
Moody arranged to get ODOT’s machine to the Kennedy Creek Road site. Using it, crews cleared the clogged drain in just days. In contrast, last summer crews worked for two weeks to clear the same culvert using the drag line method.
“I was thrilled by ODOT’s quick response to our request to use their culvert cleaner. Talk about a great neighbor,” Moody said.
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Update of projects under way
I-5, I-205, SR 14 Vancouver - Motorists traveling both directions on I-5, I-205 and SR 14 can expect delays the next two weeks as crews work to replace damaged pavement markings. Mobile right-lane closures and rolling slowdowns will occur between the hours of 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day. Motorists should expect 10- to 15-minute delays.
Snow clearing efforts in December 2008 damaged striping all across southwest Washington. Similar to striping completed earlier this month, this work will replace striping in some of the highest-priority areas. Other, similarly damaged striping and reflective markers will be replaced later this year.
SR 433 Longview - Drivers on the Lewis & Clark Bridge between Longview, WA and Rainier, OR will notice narrower lanes between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday, February 14. The narrowed lanes will allow crews to safely finish hanging bird netting in preparation for painting the bridge this spring.
There are no sidewalks on the Lewis & Clark Bridge and the lanes will be narrowed to 11 feet in width. Therefore, no oversized loads will be allowed on the bridge during this work.
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Announcements
Weekend drivers should plan ahead for high impact weekend work in downtown Seattle
WSDOT contractor crews begin the first full weekend of southbound closures on I-5 Friday, Feb. 13 at 8 p.m. in downtown Seattle. Crews will close three out of five lanes of I-5 between Stewart Street and I-90.
The 40-year-old concrete panels that make up I-5 under the Convention Center are cracking and breaking apart. The longer we wait to repair these panels, the more quickly they will fail. Fixing the worst of these broken panels is part of WSDOT’s plan to preserve the freeway and keep traffic moving.
With the federal stimulus relief on the horizon, Washington highway construction projections are putting people to work today with dozens of important safety and infrastructure improvement projects that support jobs and our economy largely because of the investments made in the 2003 and 2005 gas tax packages.
Weight restrictions in effect on SR 508 bridge
A damaged support beam on the SR 508, South Fork Newaukum River Bridge (milepost 13.65) has required WSDOT to impose weight restrictions to maintain the serviceability of the bridge. The bridge, located approximately five and a half miles west of Cinebar, is under the following restrictions:
- Single vehicles: 18 tons
- Tractor-semi trailers: 29 tons
- Truck-trailer: 36 tons
Advanced warning signs will be posted near Gish Road (milepost 4.7) on the west side of the bridge and near Justus Road (milepost 18.43) and August Road (milepost 15.47) on the east side of the bridge. This will provide overweight truck traffic the opportunity to change course before they reach the bridge.
The SR 508, South Fork Newaukum River Bridge is inspected annually. It was last inspected in February 2008.
Port Townsend/Keystone Auto Ferry Service Resumes
Auto ferry-service resumed on the Port Townsend/Keystone route on Thursday, Feb. 12 with the 6:30 a.m. departure from Port Townsend aboard the 50-auto Steilacoom II. Mystic Sea Charters provided passenger-only service on the route from Jan. 5-Feb. 11, transporting more than 11,000 passengers.
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February meetings and events
17 & 18, Tuesday & Wednesday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Washington State Transportation Commission meeting - Olympia: The State Transportation Commission provides a public forum for transportation policy development. It reviews and evaluates how the transportation system works across the state and issues the state’s 20-year Transportation Plan. The Commission sets tolls for state highways and bridges and fares for Washington State Ferries. Location: Transportation Building, Commission Boardroom, 310 Maple Park Ave., Olympia.
20, Friday, 11 a.m. - noon, dedication ceremony, Community Transit's Mountlake Terrace Transit Center and Parking Garage - Mountlake Terrace: A new five-level garage, supporting Community Transit and Sound Transit operations, will be dedicated with a community event. The 660-car garage, adjacent to I-5, provides the additional capacity needed to address local demand for parking and increased ridership that is expected with a planned I-5 median bus station. WSDOT's Regional Mobility grant program provided $2 million toward this project in support of a more efficient transportation system and economic growth. Location: Mountlake Terrace Transit Center, I-5 at 236th St. SW, Mountlake Terrace
For more details, please visit the WSDOT Calendar of Events.
Express Lane Archive
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