Date:
Friday, February 12, 2010
Contact:
Jamie Holter, WSDOT Communications, 206-440-4698 (Seattle)
Steve Peer, WSDOT Communications, 425-301-2023 (Bellevue)
Crews complete several construction project milestones in time for the games
SEATTLE – The world may have its eyes on Vancouver, B.C. but WSDOT 's focus is on state highways.
With the opening ceremonies just a few hours away and the Olympic Games set to begin, WSDOT wants to make sure all travelers know about new tools in place to make your trip to and across the border as smooth as possible and what WSDOT contractors have done in the past few weeks to prepare.
WSDOT contractors are now off the road
Knowing that no one wants to drive through orange construction barrels and detour routes on their way to the Olympics, WSDOT crews and contractors worked day and night this week to wrap up all major work. Crews have worked for months to get many projects open or substantially on their way before the games began.
Their hard has work paid off. In some cases with only a few hours to spare, contractor crews reached several major project milestones:
King County
Early this morning crews placed the last of several bridge girders spanning I-405 for the new Benson Road South bridge over I-405 in Renton. The bridge, one of the longest on the I-405 corridor, is needed to give crews enough room to add new on- and off-ramps at Talbot Road in Renton and span I-405. The $83.6 million Renton Stage 2 project also adds a lane on I-405 in each direction between SR 167 and SR 169.
Crews working on Smarter Highways for SR 520 and northbound I-5 recently completed constructing 23 new sign bridges. They've also installed fiber optic cables and placed brackets on the sign bridges as they get ready to install the high-tech electronic signs this spring.
Snohomish County
Crews set the final girders for a new pedestrian bridge over the northbound lanes of I-5 in Mountlake Terrace this morning. The bridge is part of Sound Transit’s $40.9 million Mountlake Terrace Freeway Station project. The bridge will connect commuters from the park and ride to the new freeway station in the median of I-5.
In the past few weeks, crews have closed lanes and ramps on a nightly basis installing a cable median barrier as part of the I-5 Marysville to Stillaguamish median barrier project. The good news is they have completed 35 percent of their work and are on track to wrap up by the end of 2010; months ahead of schedule.
Skagit/Whatcom Counties
Earlier this week crews opened the new Nooksack River Bridge in Lynden. The new bridge is part of a $106.7 million project that turns the Guide Meridian into a safer and less-congested four-lane divided highway between Ten Mile Road and Lynden.
Want More Construction information?
Visit our What’s Happening Now Web site:
www.wsdot.wa.gov/construction/2010/today
WSDOT traffic tools get people to the Olympics
In the months leading up to the Olympics, WSDOT upgraded its travel information and added extra response trucks near the border.
“We’ve beefed up our traveler information system to help drivers make informed decisions about when and where to cross the border,” said WSDOT NW Regional Administrator Lorena Eng. “This is all about being a good neighbor and doing the right thing for our friends up north.”
We have 17 cameras and at the border crossings so drivers can check the traffic to determine which entry looks best. Wait times are listed for each border crossing including NEXUS lanes, freight FAST lanes and all general purpose lanes.
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From our Web site, drivers can sign up for border wait time twitter feeds. Updates are sent directly to your twitter account.
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Our traffic management centers in Bellingham and Shoreline will operate extra hours to quickly assess situations and dispatch the crews needed to keep our roads clear.
We want to provide top-notch service to tourists who come through Washington State. As Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire has said, she hopes the tourist experience is so good, they’ll want to return for another two nation vacation.
WSDOT Essentials for crossing the border:
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