Date:  Monday, April 27, 2009

Contact: Will Smith, WSDOT Project Engineer, (509) 577-1840 (Yakima)
Amy Danberg, WSDOT Communications, (509) 577-1944 (Yakima)

KITTITAS – The Washington State Department of Transportation today advertised two Washington Jobs Now I-90 preservation contracts funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). WSDOT is looking for bidders for the I-90 Snoqualmie Summit to Hyak dowel bar retrofit and concrete rehabilitation project and the I-90 Lake Easton to Bullfrog concrete replacement project. These projects are expected to support an estimated 185 jobs and rehabilitate roughly 10 miles of deteriorating concrete pavement on I-90 east of Snoqualmie Pass.

"We are really picking up speed on advertising the Recovery Act projects for contractor bids," said Paula Hammond, Washington Transportation Secretary. "These projects are two of five projects advertised today that will put people to work across the state. We’re investing more than $55 million in ARRA funds in I-90 preservation projects. In fact, this week we will begin work to preserve I-90 in Ellensburg – the first of 181 federally funded highway and local roadway projects in Washington to begin construction.”

Snoqualmie Summit to Hyak project
As part of the I-90 Snoqualmie Summit to Hyak project, WSDOT and contractor crews will strengthen three miles of the I-90 pavement in the westbound direction near the Snoqualmie Summit by inserting steel dowel bars between the concrete road panels in the right lane. Crews will also replace other severely cracked panels and upgrade basic safety features such as signing, striping, and guardrails. When the project is complete, drivers will experience a smoother, safer ride across Snoqualmie Pass. The work also preserves the roadway to handle heavy traffic and freight trucks.

WSDOT expects to award the contract in early June. Construction is scheduled to begin in late June or July, depending on weather, and open to traffic by the end of October.

I-90 Lake Easton to Bullfrog concrete replacement project
As part of the project, crews will replace more than seven miles of the deteriorating right lane and shoulders of westbound I-90 with a new concrete lane and asphalt shoulders near the town of Easton. Crews will also replace severely cracked panels in the left lane and grind the roadway surface to improve the ride and extend the life of the pavement. Upgrades to signing, striping, and other basic safety features are also part of the project.

WSDOT plans to award the contract early June, with construction scheduled to begin in June or July, weather permitting. This important concrete replacement project will take two construction seasons to complete. Due to heavy summertime travel on I-90, WSDOT is requiring the contractor to avoid long-term lane closures in July and August. The new concrete lane is scheduled to be open to traffic by the fall of 2010.

Washington received $491 million in federal ARRA funds for state highway investments, which included over $55 million for I-90 preservation. WSDOT will distribute $170 million in ARRA funds by July 1.

Washington state is administering the Recovery Act investments with an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability. Gov. Gregoire has created a new website, www.recovery.wa.gov, enabling every Washingtonian to see where their tax dollars are going and hold government accountable for the results. On the federal level, President Obama has appointed Vice President Biden, a proven and aggressive Inspector General, to oversee all states’ recovery efforts and root out waste and fraud. This combined oversight will ensure taxpayer dollars aren’t wasted.

For more information about the I-90 Snoqualmie Summit to Hyak Dowel Bar Retrofit and the I-90 Lake Easton to Bullfrog concrete rehabilitation project or other federally funded projects, please visit our project Web page: www.wsdot.wa.gov/funding/stimulus 

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