From the Regional Administrator
Welcome to our March newsletter. This month we run down some of the projects just getting underway and a collision analysis study on US 195 in south Spokane County and Whitman County.
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
metcalk@wsdot.wa.gov
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I-90 widening in the Spokane Valley getting started
A busy section of Interstate 90 in the Spokane Valley will get some much needed widening this construction season.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and Acme Concrete Paving Inc. of Spokane began construction on Monday, March 28 on the Interstate 90/Sullivan Road to Barker Road widening project. Work is underway now.
The $15 million project adds a third lane in each direction through this 2.8-mile section of I-90. Crews will remove the existing asphalt pavement and then rebuild the highway with a more durable Portland Cement Concrete Pavement (PCCP) surface. This portion of I-90 was designed and built in the early to mid 1950’s and traffic volumes have grown significantly over the past half century.
As construction funding becomes available we hope to continue this widening process in stages, to Liberty Lake and eventually to the Idaho border. These improvements are necessary to accommodate freight movement as well as heavy commute traffic between the Spokane County area and north Idaho.
Traffic will flow freely through the project with two lanes in each direction during most of the construction. Crews will build temporary pavement and lanes, so all the freeway traffic can use one side of the existing highway. Drivers will need to be alert as they travel through this section during the work. The lane width will be reduced from 12 feet to 11 feet and shoulder width will be pared down to only two feet. To assist motorists in navigating this work zone safely, the legal speed limit will be reduced for the duration of the project. Motorists will need to be alert for speed limit changes. There will be some occasional lane restrictions during evening or overnight hours as workers perform some of the project tasks.
WSDOT began widening I-90 and converting the surface to PCCP in 1997 near the Spokane city limits. Since then the work has continued east with a series of projects. With the completion of this job, a 10-mile section of I-90 will be fully rebuilt.
Construction should take about 30 weeks with the project planned to be complete by late fall.
Drivers can follow construction-related traffic impacts by visiting WSDOT’s Weekly Construction Update Web page, the Spokane Freeway Fix web page, or the I-90/Sullivan to Barker project page.
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Crews to smooth I-90 west of downtown Spokane
Crews will smooth five miles of deeply-rutted Interstate 90 west of downtown Spokane starting April 4. Drivers should be prepared for slow traffic, congestion and delays between Geiger Boulevard and the downtown Spokane freeway viaduct.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and contractor Acme Concrete Paving Inc. will grind the lanes down 1 ½ inches to remove the ruts, repair concrete sections that are cracked and broken, and repave the Latah Creek Bridge.
This is a very busy section of I-90. The high volume of traffic using studded tires has significantly damaged the roadway.
Traffic will be reduced to two lanes in each direction during daytime hours for most of the project. During evening and overnight hours, there may be times when I-90 is limited to one lane. In addition, eastbound I-90 will be reduced to one lane when work is under way on the Abbott Road Bridge near the top of the Sunset Hill. The legal speed limit will be reduced for the duration of the project to help ease congestion and improve safety.
Construction should take part of two seasons to complete, with the project probably suspended over the winter and completed in 2012.
This section of I-90 was widened in the early 1990’s. The concrete is 11 inches deep and was designed to allow for this type of pavement grinding project.
Drivers can follow construction-related traffic impacts by visiting WSDOT’s Weekly Construction Update Web page, the Spokane Freeway Fix web page, or the I-90/Sunset Hill project page.
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Paving resumes on Division Street in Spokane
Warmer weather has crews from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and Inland Asphalt Company returning to work to finish repaving Spokane’s busiest north-south arterial — Division Street. Work will restart on Monday, April 4.
Crews will repave Division Street between Euclid Avenue and Francis Avenue. The majority of work will be scheduled for evening and overnight hours to avoid peak commute times. The work should take about 10 weeks to complete.
Crews paved the intersection of Division Street and Wellesley Avenue with concrete last season and then put the project on hold for the winter.
This season, we’ll concentrate on the asphalt paving and sidewalk ramp upgrades. Last year, we partnered with the Spokane Transit Authority and City of Spokane on the concrete intersection. The concrete is more durable and can withstand the constant pounding from the stop-and-go traffic at this busy location.
More than 43,000 vehicles travel on this portion of Division Street. It’s the main north-south route through Spokane and serves as US 2 and US 395.
For construction and traffic information visit our weekly update web page. For more project details, please visit the project web page.
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I-90 paving work starts April 11 in Adams County
Crews begin paving on I-90 between Ritzville and Tokio in Adams County on April 11 to smooth the roadway for drivers.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will rejuvenate the aging pavement in the right lane, in both directions, and eliminate the ruts and potholes created by seasonal weather and high volumes of passenger cars and freight traffic.
We’re stretching our precious paving dollars by only resurfacing the outside lanes in this portion of I-90. We last resurfaced this section of freeway in 2002 and the inside lane is still holding up fairly well.
WSDOT’s contractor, Poe Asphalt of Post Falls, ID, is handling the construction work on this $2.5 million project.
Drivers can expect single-lane traffic through the construction area and should be alert for slowing traffic. The project should take about 10 weeks to complete.
For construction and traffic information, visit our weekly update website. For more project details, please visit the project web page at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/i90/ritzvilletotokiopaving.
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Paving work on southbound US 395 in Adams County starts April 4
RITZVILLE–Crews begin repaving 22 miles of US 395 between Lee Road and Ritzville in Adams County on April 4 to help smooth the road for drivers and increase the lifespan of the roadway.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will resurface the asphalt pavement in the southbound lanes. They were last resurfaced in 1995 and 1998, with two separate projects. The northbound lanes were constructed with concrete when the highway was expanded in the mid-90s.
WSDOT’s contractor, Central Washington Asphalt of Moses Lake, WA, is handling the $6.5 million project.
Drivers can expect southbound single-lane traffic through the construction area and should be alert for slowing traffic. The project should take about 12 weeks to complete.
For construction and traffic information visit our weekly update website. For more project details, please visit the project web page.
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US 195 Corridor Collision Analysis study underway
The US 195 Corridor Analysis study from Spangle, WA to Idaho State Line is now underway. The Washington State Department of Transportation initiated the study to gain a better understanding of the collision characteristics within the US 195 corridor. The guiding framework for the study is the TARGET ZERO program. The program was implemented in 2000 with a goal of zero deaths and zero serious injuries on Washington State roads by 2030. Target Zero identifies traffic safety needs and provides low-cost solutions and strategies based on specific findings and available funding.
We have assembled a local Technical Advisory Committee made up of representatives from Washington State University, emergency medical services, law enforcement, plus cities and counties to help us with this endeavor.
As part of the study, local “Listening Posts” will be held in April as opportunities to gather additional insight. They will be held at the following locations and dates:
Pullman Safeway Store-Tuesday, April 12 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Rosalia Coffee & More-Wednesday, April 13 from 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m.
Washington State University CUB- Wednesday, April 13 from 1:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m.
Colfax Rosauers Supermarket-Thursday, April 14 from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
If you can't make it to one of these informal "Listening Post" locations, we have an electronic survey you can take and provide your thoughts. It's on the Internet at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/US195 .
As we plan to complete the analysis by the end of this year, we will strive to keep the various communities informed and involved in the study developments and we'll send out a link to the final report in one of our future newsletters.