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Project Title & Location
Pt. Defiance Bypass-Phase 1, Pierce Co., WA
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Project Description
Constructs and upgrades part of the mainline tracks along a 20-mile corridor for passenger service. Results in 6-minute reduction in Seattle-Portland schedule.
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Contractor/Consultant
Sound Transit, Seattle, and Tacoma Rail, Tacoma
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Recent Progress
WSDOT is continuing the design and environmental work to construct improvements that will allow Amtrak Cascades trains to use the bypass route without being delayed by freight or Sounder commuter trains. This will also reduce travel times between Seattle/Tacoma and Portland by six minutes. The design work remains on schedule and on budget.
FHWA and FRA, the federal leads on the NEPA documentation have agreed with WSDOT that there are not significant impacts from the WSDOT project. This allows the environmental documentation to be reduced from an Environmental Assessment (EA) to a Documented Categorical Exclusion (DCE), shortening the environmental schedule by at least two months.
However, the purchase of four pieces of property began late and may delay the beginning of construction. The Olympic Region Real Estate Services has estimated that the earliest that the ROW will be certified is after June 2008, and that there is a potential of an even later ROW certification date. A more solid date is not anticipated until at least January 2008. WSDOT and Sound Transit had anticipated a February 2008 Ad Date. The vast majority of the work could be done prior to purchasing the four properties, so WSDOT and Sound Transit are considering moving ahead with either a slightly reduced scope or with specifications limiting how the contractor proceeds in these areas.
WSDOT continues to coordinate with Sound Transit to ensure the WSDOT project is compatible with the Sound Transit Lakewood Extension project. WSDOT and Sound Transit continue to negotiate an agreement for Sound Transit to administer the construction, with WSDOT to purchase the property required for the WSDOT-driven improvements.
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Design Construction Impacts
The impacts to rail transportation during construction will be minor, as three day work windows are planned for, allowing freight operations four days per week as is typical today. As grade crossings are upgraded, some road restrictions and closures will be required. In advance of these closures, the contractor and construction office will coordinate with WSDOT's Olympic Region, the cities of Tacoma, Lakewood, and DuPont, as well as Fort Lewis and Camp Murray, to ensure restrictions and closures are well planned and minimize impacts to traffic.
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Environmental Impacts / Compliance
A NEPA/SEPA Environmental Assessment (EA) is being prepared, so the environmental impacts have not been determined. Some noise impacts to surrounding residences are expected, due to increased numbers and the speeds of trains, as well as, from train horns at the grade crossings.
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Impacts to Traffic
With the removal of passenger trains from the congested main line around Point Defiance, freight rail traffic on that route will see fewer congestion delays. More trains passing over the grade crossings in south Tacoma, Lakewood, and DuPont, will cause minor delays to motorists which will be mitigated by improved traffic signal coordination.
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