Stimulus News You Can Use is one way WSDOT is working to keep transportation stakeholders updated on the fast-moving effort to put people to work and improve the state’s infrastructure. Each edition will have information on project delivery and highlights. Sign up to receive stimulus news e-mail updates. Visit the Newsletter Archive for earlier editions.

This week's stimulus snapshot

• Two state projects set for advertisement this month 
• One more local Recovery Act project completed 
• Paving work concludes on SR 503 project  
• Important stimulus dates 
• Useful Recovery Act web links 
• Stimulus data table update 
  
  
  

Two more state Recovery Act projects in Adams County are planned for advertisement – WSDOT plans to advertise two more Recovery Act highway projects for bids this month. The projects are receiving a combined $6 million in stimulus funds due to low bids on earlier Recovery Act projects and will also receive $4.1 million from other fund sources. While advertisement dates may change, the SR 26/Grant County Line to SR 17 – Restructuring project is planned for ad September 7 and the US 395/Lee Road to Jct. I-90 – Paving project is planned for ad September 20. Both projects are anticipated to be complete in late 2011.

One more local Recovery Act highway projects completed – The Port of Pasco completed its Intermodal Rail Phase 5 project in Franklin County on August 25. The project, which received Federal Highway Administration Recovery Act funds, improved rail access to the BNSF mainline rail, expanded rail facilities, and improved access in and out of the Port of Pasco’s Big Pasco Industrial Center.

Recovery Act paving work begins on Valley Mall Boulevard – Construction on the I-82/Valley Mall Boulevard Interchange – Build Interchange project in Yakima County continues with the paving of Valley Mall Boulevard and North Rudkin Road. More photos from the project, which received $18.8 million in Recovery Act funds, are available on WSDOT’s Flickr page.

Federal Transportation Blog highlights this week – Check the WSDOT Federal Issues blog for recent items on federal transportation funding, federal grants, and growing public interest in electric cars. 

Highlight of the week

Paving wraps up on SR 503 with plenty of summer to spare – Travelers and commuters will experience a smoother, safer drive on SR 503 in southern Cowlitz County this week, as road crews complete repaving and guardrail improvements.

The SR 503, Rock Creek Bridge to Fredrickson Road project began construction in June, and crews wrapped up paving and guardrail work on Aug. 30 with three weeks of summer to spare.

The $2.5 million project is funded primarily by a federal grant through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Washington State Department of Transportation awarded the construction contract to Kerr Contractors, Inc. in April. The project included resurfacing more than 10 miles of SR 503 between Rock Creek Bridge and Fredrickson Road (mileposts 35.5-46) and upgrading the existing guardrail to meet current federal standards.

“Before this project the pavement was worn out by years of regular truck use and the road was a pretty rough drive,” said project engineer Denys Tak. “This project repaired ruts and cracks and really transformed the route. Not only is the roadway safer, but it’s a beautiful drive, too.”

This project is one of 218 highway construction and preservation projects WSDOT is delivering with help from the Recovery Act. As of Aug. 25, 62 percent of the Recovery Act-funded state and local highway projects were complete, and employees had worked more than 2.9 million payroll hours on projects receiving federal stimulus funds.


Important dates

September 20: Next accountability report to the T & I Committee
September 30: Deadline for obligating Recovery Act highway funds
September 30: Next high-speed rail grant announcements expected
Fall: Next high-speed rail grant announcements expected
Fall: TIGER II award announcements expected
October 6: T & I Subcommittee hearing on passenger rail
October 14: Next quarterly accountability report due

Websites of interest

WSDOT ARRA website: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/funding/stimulus
WSDOT Federal Transportation Issues blog: http://wsdotfederalfunding.blogspot.com
Washington recovery website: http://www.recovery.wa.gov/
Federal recovery website: http://www.recovery.gov/
FHWA recovery website: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/economicrecovery/index.htm
Federal Transit Administration recovery website: www.fta.dot.gov/recovery
Federal Railroad Administration recovery website: http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/2153
Federal Aviation Administration recovery website: http://www.faa.gov/recovery
OMB recovery website: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/recovery_default/

This week by the numbers (project dollars in millions)