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Project Evaluation: SR 20, SR 20 Spur to SR 536 Vicinity - Stage 1 Paving
Burlington to Anacortes, Skagit County
We repaved the worst sections of State Route 20 along an eight-mile stretch of the highway between Burlington and Anacortes. We also widened the lanes and shoulders of SR 20 between La Conner-Whitney Road and Swinomish Slough Bridge, installed new guardrail, and repainted the lanes to improve safety. This project cost $2 million and was completed under budget.
Construction Summary
State Route 20 is the only road on and off Whidbey Island and the only highway in and out of Anacortes. The pavement on SR 20 had exceeded its lifespan and needed to be repaved to create a safe driving surface for the 30,000 cars that use the highway each day.
We originally planned to pave all of SR 20 from Memorial Highway (State Route 536) to Sharpes Corner, but we were forced to repave the highway in sections because of limited funding. So, we paved the worst sections first. This left small transitional bumps between the new and old pavement. We will come back in 2007 and finishing paving the other sections.
Crews closed one lane 24-hours a day for five days a week during construction. The 24-hour lane closures allowed workers to pave the highway twice as fast. It also enhanced safety for drivers and workers.
We ran into one major problem during the project. We started construction at noon the day after July Fourth and were not prepared for the traffic backups that ensued. To make things worse, some equipment caught on fire. Law enforcement officers closed the highway until the fire was put out. We received many complaints about the delays. Our lesson learned is that we will not start construction the day after a holiday on SR 20. There is too much traffic.
WSDOT and Rinker Materials finished the project on time and under budget. We worked together as a team through the traffic control challenges and completed the project.
Contact Information
Contractor:
Rinker Materials, Everett
WSDOT Contact:
Dave Crisman, Project Engineer
(360) 428-1593
chrismad@wsdot.wa.gov
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