|
Project Title & Location
SR 539 - Ten Mile Road to Badger Road Widening
MP 6.13 to MP 12.54
|
Project Description
Widening Guide Meridian Road to four lanes will increase safety and traffic capacity along this heavily-traveled traffic corridor. This widening work will also provide an additional lane of traffic in each direction along a major freight corridor between Bellingham and Aldergrove, British Columbia.
|
|
Recent Progress
This section of SR 539 is being designed for 2 lanes in each direction with cable barrier in the median. Roundabouts will be constructed at Tenmile Rd, SR 544 (Pole Road), Wiser Lake Rd, River Rd and SR 546 (Badger Road). New structures will be constructed at Wiser Lake, South Overflow, Nooksack River, North Overflow and Fishtrap Creek.
The Advertisement Date was delayed to December 17, 2007 to incorporate plan changes that occurred at the Nooksack River Bridge. This delay, along with costs associated with our mitigation site search resulted in an additional need of $540k in Project Engineering.
A request for $4.5 million in additional Construction Engineering has also been made. After external review of our bridge estimate it was found to be too low. In addition most areas of the project experienced costs increases which eliminated the buffer we had at the July 100% turn in.
A second Cost Risk Assessment (CRA)/Value Engineering (VE) Study was done at the 60% design phase, March of 2007. The objectives of this second workshop were to validate the construction estimate and take a critical look at the project risks. Rising material costs continue to be the most significant risk to the construction estimate. The VE Team was comfortable with the construction estimate and didn’t identify any major risks that weren’t already being monitored by the Project Office. Substituting asphalt for concrete panels at the roundabouts was a major cost saving recommendation made during the workshop that has been implemented.
The results of an August 2005 CRA estimated that the project was $25 million short of being able to construct the entire corridor (Ten Mile Rd to SR 546). This shortfall required the project be broken into two stages. Stage 1 extends from Ten Mile Rd to Bay-Lyn Drive and is fully funded. Stage 2 extends from Bay-Lyn Drive to SR 546. The design for this stage was stopped at the 60% level. There is currently no funding to complete final design, right-of-way, or construction.
Right-of-way (ROW) acquisition for Stage 1 is 90% complete. ROW acquisitions for the northern section (Stage 2) are waiting additional funding. Bid Opening is scheduled for February 13, 2008.
|
|
Design Construction Impacts
While funding has been transferred to allow Stage 1 ROW acquisition to continue without further delay, it will still be a challenge to acquire all of the project ROW for Stage 1. Currently the Right of Way Office is estimating 5 parcels will be in condemnation without "Possession and Use" beyond the 12/17/07 Advertisement date.
With the lack of funding for Stage 2 the earliest any construction could start on this section is Spring of 2011 due to the time needed to acquire right of way and relocate utilities.
|
|
Environmental Impacts / Compliance
All Environmental Permits were obtained by December 2007.
NEPA Re-evaluation signed by FHWA in May 2007.
Environmental documents obtained to date: EA w/4(f) (9/98), FONSI (4/99), SEPA adoption (5/99), BA concurrence (10/06), SEPA DNS (12/06).
|
Impacts to Traffic
We are currently developing alternative ways to stage construction so that there will be fewer lane closures and smaller delays on traffic during construction. It is planned that at minimum one lane in each direction will be provided during daylight hours.
Nighttime closures of SR 539 are being investigated with traffic being rerouted to county roads.
|