From the Regional Administrator
Welcome to our August 2011 newsletter. This month we highlight a completed bridge project, the Keller Ferry and the latest North Spokane Corridor project.
We also have a busy Labor Day holiday weekend coming up. Other than a couple of projects with long-term lane restrictions, we try to have all the workers off the roadway by noon on Friday to help keep traffic moving. You can find out where construction work is located by checking our Weekly Update on our web site. Please drive carefully and have a safe holiday.
As always, if you have any questions on items in this newsletter, or other transportation issues, please let me know. Give me a call at (509) 324-6010 or drop me an e-mail at metcalk@wsdot.wa.gov
Keith A. Metcalf, P.E., Regional Administrator
WSDOT Eastern Region
509-324-6010
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Keller Ferry
Officials from the U.S. Department of Transportation announced last week that the Keller Ferry operation will receive a grant for $1.6 million this fiscal year to design and construct a new north terminal ramp.
The grant proceeds will be used to construct a new terminal on the river’s north shore. The existing terminal is requiring frequent expensive repairs. Most recently, the terminal ramp flotation failed when the ramp was being moved to the low-water location, interrupting service for several days.
The existing ferry on the route, the Martha S., and the associated terminals on the north and south shores has been in service since September, 1948. A contract to replace the Martha S. with a new vessel is currently being advertised for construction bids. With this grant, the north terminal will be rehabilitated and the existing south terminal will be adapted to the new vessel hull.
In June, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) invited states to apply for federal funding from 14 grant programs. More than 1,800 requests poured in from every state, totaling nearly $13 billion, which is more than 30 times the funds available.
WSDOT received the award available under the Ferry Boat Discretionary (FBD) program. A total of $47 million was available to be awarded nationwide under the FBD program.
Interstate 90/Altamont/Havana Bridges
It’s always a pleasure to report a success story for one of our projects. On July 11th, we began a planned 30-day bridge deck repair project on Interstate 90 in east Spokane. The Altamont Street and Havana Street freeway bridges were in sad shape and needed a major deck repair and resurfacing. Doing this work meant that the busiest section of Interstate 90 in Eastern Washington would have to be reduced to two very narrow lanes.
The West Company of Airway Heights took on the challenge and got busy setting up the work zone quickly. The crews worked 24 hours a day, six days a week removing the old bridge surfaces, repairing the underlying deck, pouring concrete then placing the final asphalt layer.
Although traffic was slowed during the project, drivers did their part by using alternate routes, avoiding a potential gridlock situation.
Work went smoothly and the contractor crews were able to get through the various stages of the project efficiently. When everything finally came together, the job was finished in only 20 days,a full 10 days ahead of schedule.
North Spokane Corridor/Parksmith Road Interchange
We have been fortunate in obtaining very competitive bids on the North Spokane Corridor construction projects over the last few years. These savings allowed us to put the final component in the north half of the corridor, the Parksmith Road Interchange, out for construction bids.
We opened those bids a couple of weeks ago and the Max J. Kuney Company of Spokane was the apparent low bidder at $6,917,161. We hope to award the contract to them shortly, pending the final review by the Federal Highway Administration.
The Parksmith Road Interchange provides access to the Mead community and the adjacent industrial commercial property. Most of the earthwork for the interchange ramps was done as part of a previous project. The work should get underway this fall and be completed in mid-2012.