•  2003 Project Highlights
•  Evaluation Criteria

SR 26 - Vantage Area to Royal City – Paving

Grant County

Design:  Contract Administration: Schedule: Cost:  Engineer’s estimate: $4,326,408 Contractor’s bid amount: $4,017,029 Estimated cost for completion: $4,188,900 A miscalculation in excavation quantities resulted in ten additional working days and cost to haul additional fill material from a pit site. This additional work increased the time required to do the project, however there was little additional effect on the travelers. The contractor was proactive in resolving issues resolved and communication between contractor and contract team was good.

This project is located on SR 26, less than a mile south of the Vantage Bridge where I-90 crosses the Columbia River. SR 26 travels through farmland, and slow moving farm machinery on the highway presents a hazard. This is also a significant truck route and a main route for students and family members heading to and from Washington State University in Pullman.

The primary purpose of this project is to preserve the structural stability of the roadway and improve the uneven gravel shoulders by paving them. A similar project completed in 2001 on another section of this highway successfully widened the shoulders creating a safer corridor. It was decided during the design process to do the same with this stretch of highway, matching the previous job. The intersection at Adams Road sees a large number of trucks and cars turning off the highway onto this county road and was a high accident location. Left-turn lanes and illumination were added to improve safety at the intersection of SR 26 and Adams Road.

Construction summary

Regular chip seals (oil and rock surfacing) could no longer maintain the existing roadway surface. The original design called for overlaying the existing roadway and shoulders with asphalt concrete pavement.

Construction began in March 2003 when the contractor began preparing the narrow gravel shoulders for widening and pavement. The contractor finished paving in early July and finished the rest of the project in early September.

Since this is a major route for farmers as well as for college bound students and their parents, public notices were important to keep them informed of contractor activities. A Web page was developed and updated weekly to inform the traveling public of the contractor’s work. E-mails and fax advisories were sent out daily to the media to alert regular users of the highway of traffic impacts.

Contractor:
Central Washington Asphalt, Moses Lake

WSDOT Contact:
Joel Voth, Project Engineer
WSDOT North Central Region
Phone: 509-667-2870 or toll free 1-888-461-8816
email: VothJ@wsdot.wa.gov

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