Project Title & Location
SR 539 - Tenmile to International Border Widening

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.

Contractor/Consultant
KPFF is the design consultant

Recent Progress

Design continues to move forward, focusing now on the elements relating to the inclusion of roundabouts at four intersections along the alignment.  Methods identified during the Value Engineering (VE) study last year to streamline the design and property acquisition process prior to construction are being implemented .  Assymetrical widening, a separate contract plans package for the Nooksack River bridge, and the use of a turn-key Right-of-Way (R/W) acquisition consultant are all expected to help keep the project on schedule. 

Preliminary review of the R/W plans has been completed, and the plans are being sent on to Headquarters for final approval.   The Region Real Estate Services (RES) office has notified the design office that they have a turn-key R/W consultant on-board and will be ready to start acquisition as soon as final R/W plan approval  is obtained.  Early acquisition for at one parcel is already underway.

 In light of the recently updated and more accurate R/W plans, a revised estimate projects R/W costs at $17.5M.  Opportunities to reduce this cost will continue to be pursued as design progresses.

A project Open House was held in Lynden in February, with a significant community turnout.  The design changes since the last Open House in Sept. 2004 (namely the inclusion of roundabouts in the project design) were presented to the public, with mixed reactions.  It is clear that a key element to the successful use of roundabouts in the design will be a proactive community education effort by the Department regarding the enhanced safety characteristics and driving techniques of roundabouts.

Design Construction Impacts

The additional funding required for R/W acquisition continues to be of concern.  The project is currently budgeted for $5.3M in R/W costs, whereas the most recent R/W estimate was $17.5M.

Environmental Impacts / Compliance
An Environmental Assessment was completed with a finding of "no significant impact" in 1998.  These documents are being updated.   A new basin-wide approach to wetland mitigation continues to be examined for implementation on this project, and may include the use of offsite wetland mitigation.

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.

Planned vs. Actual Expenditures
(Total Project Cost)

Nickel funds included in above costs

2005 Transportation Partnership Account