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

• Three Washington projects win TIGER II grants
• Five more local stimulus projects completed 
• I-82 dowel bar project completed in Yakima County 
• I-5 paving project completed in Cowlitz County 
• Important stimulus dates 
• Useful Recovery Act web links 
• Stimulus data table update 
  

Three Washington projects won TIGER II grants – King County, the Port of Vancouver, and Franklin County received national competitive grants totaling $45 million to help complete high priority transportation projects. The projects competed for funding in the Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery II (TIGER II) program. See the U.S. DOT press release for more information. While the program is not stimulus funded, the $600 million TIGER II program in the 2010 federal budget was based on the Recovery Act’s $1.5 billion TIGER competitive grant program.

• King County received a $34 million award to replace the South Park Bridge as part of a $131 million project planned for construction next year. The bridge will replace an 81-year-old bridge that was closed in June due to structural concerns. According to King County project’s webpage, the bridge’s bid package is expected to be advertised to contractors in early 2011 with construction expected to begin in April 2011.
• The Port of Vancouver’s $10 million grant will help fund an overpass at Gateway Avenue to separate car and train traffic and a project that will increase the number of rail cars that can be unloaded at one time at the port’s United Grain facilities.
• Franklin County received a $1,010,000 grant for the East Foster Wells Road Extension which will provide an all-weather, farm-to-market connection for local farmers that will provide direct access from Pasco-Kahlotus Road to processing facilities located along US 395 and the newly completed Commercial Avenue in the City of Pasco.

Five more local Recovery Act highway projects completed – Local governments reported completing five more projects this week. To date, local governments completed 119, or 70%, of the 170 local highway projects that received more than $150 million in stimulus funds.

• Anacortes – 6th Street Reconstruction
• Bellingham – Bakerview/Hannegan
• King County – 98th Street Phase 1
• Cowlitz County – Hall Road Reconstruction
• Ilwaco – Beards Hollow Overlook

WSDOT I-82 project in Yakima County completed – WSDOT completed the I-82/Granger to W. Grandview EB – Dowel Bar Retrofit and Concrete Rehabilitation project on October 16. The project installed new dowel bars to strengthen the eastbound right lane and extend its service life. The contractor also replaced severely cracked panels and grinded the concrete surface to improve the ride and traction. An earlier Recovery Act project completed in October 2009 strengthened the westbound right lane between Granger and west Grandview.

Federal Transportation Blog highlights this week – Check the WSDOT Federal Issues blog for recent items on TIGER II grant announcements, the Obama administration’s transportation plans, Amtrak Cascades, tribal highway safety news, and the planned transportation reauthorization bill.

WSDOT Highlight of the Week

Work wrapped up last week on a Recovery Act-funded project that improves safety and drivability on I-5 in Cowlitz County. Construction crews left the roadway Friday, taking with them orange construction barrels and leaving behind fresh pavement and a smoother, safer drive.

The $6.18 million I-5, Todd Road to Kelso Weigh Station project received $2.39 million in federal recovery funds for new paving and better guardrail along 17 miles of I-5 between Woodland and Castle Rock (mileposts 26 to 44). Contractor crews installed 20,000 feet of upgraded guardrail and painted about 145 miles of new lane striping.

Delivered on time and on budget, this project helps I-5 continue to serve thousands of travelers and commuters everyday by enhancing the freeway’s structural integrity and making the interstate system safer.

Since 2009 more than $18 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds have helped improve safety and drivability on I-5 between Vancouver and Centralia. This is the third of four projects to be completed in the I-5 corridor in Southwest Washington; the final project is expected to be complete in November.

Following the project’s completion, as well as the I-82/Granger to W. Grandview EB – Dowel Bar Retrofit and Concrete Rehabilitation project completed on October 16, WSDOT has now completed 36 of 49 Recovery Act-funded state highway projects. See the table below for more information on project delivery.


Important dates

October 20: Next accountability report to the T & I Committee
October 21: Bid opening planned on US 395/Lee Road to Jct. I-90 project
October 30: Federal accountability reports published at Recovery.gov
Fall: Next high-speed rail grant announcements expected
December 1: New federal accountability reporting will be posted at USASpending.gov

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)