Greetings from the WSDOT Eastern Region.
Fall is here and winter is just around the corner. Montana got an early taste of the chilly weather with recent heavy snowfall in many areas. In this issue, we’ll take a look at the preparations that our Region crews make getting ready for their snow and ice duties.
There’s also information on our Emergency Operations Center training, the US 2 Deep Creek Bridge project, and a way you can get involved in naming the new pedestrian/bike path along the North Spokane Corridor.
Remember, if you have any questions about the information here or other transportation issues, please let me know. Give me a call at (509) 324-6010 or e-mail at metcalk@wsdot.wa.gov .
If you received this newsletter forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up to receive it at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Regions/Eastern/EmailUpdates . You can also view previous editions of this monthly publication.
Keith Metcalf
Regional Administrator
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Region crews getting ready for winter duties
The WSDOT Eastern Region maintenance team is getting ready for another Inland Northwest winter. Our crews are hoping for a little lighter snowfall than what we experienced during the 2007-2008 season. The crews are responsible for snow and ice control on about 1,700 miles of state highways in seven counties
Equipment is a big part of our snow and ice preparation routine. We have 21 single-axle trucks and 48 dual-axle trucks giving us 69 units in our sanding/deicing fleet. All of these trucks are equipped with snowplows of various designs and styles.
Fifty-six of the trucks have their dump boxes removed and sanding boxes installed. Each sanding box is capable of pre-wetting solid materials such as sand or salt to help the material adhere to the pavement. The remaining trucks are capable of spreading sand/deicing without removing the box. Nineteen of the trucks have side wing blades installed which allows them to plow more than one lane or a lane and a shoulder simultaneously.
Fourteen additional trucks are equipped with liquid deicer tanks, seven of them have plows installed. The Region has eight motor graders that can have side wing plows mounted on them if needed. The wings are not installed if the winter is not too severe.
How does the sand and salt get into the trucks? The region has 39 front end loaders used to load solid deicing material and sand. Some of these loaders are used to open roads that get drifted in. Finally, we have three large snow blowers in the region. These are used to attack those drifted sections and to widen the roadway when the snow gets too deep, especially on Sherman Pass.
Supplies of liquid anti-icer chemicals such as magnesium chloride and calcium chloride have been purchased and stored. Solid de-icer has been stockpiled and sand piles have been replenished.
Depending on their location, Region crews will transition to winter shift hours, beginning in mid-November, to provide seven-day per week coverage with day and night shift schedules. Of course, early storms can always change the winter shift startup plan.
After all the preparation is done, the crews watch the weather using localized forecasts from Northwest Weathernet and a network of 14 weather reporting stations throughout the Region. These stations not only provide general weather data, but also pavement temperatures, to help the team respond.
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Eastern Region Emergency Operations Center refresher training
On September 24th, the Eastern Region performed a refresher exercise in their Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The EOC was created about 10 years ago and has evolved considerably to its current configuration. It was created to allow the Eastern Region to maintain continuity of operations during emergencies and to help other organizations in the community during large scale disasters.
The nine EOC positions are staffed by Eastern Region employees who volunteer their time to take on this important duty. There are four shifts, for a total of 36 employees, which allows the EOC to keep operating with fresh staff by rotating them throughout the day or event. All employees have been trained and certified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in National Incident Management System processes.
The ER EOC maintains several types of communications technology, such as laptop computers, PBX telephones, cellular telephones, 800 MHz radio system, microwave telephone, and a satellite telephone, to ensure they will always have a communications link available, even when some have failed. All of the technological equipment is mobile, allowing the Eastern Region to move the EOC to alternate locations in the event the Eastern Region headquarters (HQ) is unavailable, or the EOC services are needed elsewhere.
The EOC’s main location is in the Eastern Region HQ building, which is served by an on-site backup diesel generator. At the Eastern Region HQ, the EOC has access to live video from all the regional cameras. The EOC also has access to other important information, such as the location and condition of all WSDOT equipment, detailed maps, bridge information, etc.
The Eastern Region EOC conducts a couple of refresher training sessions per year, to be sure that each employee understands what their roles are during an EOC activation and how to use any equipment associated with their position. The EOC also participates in one to two statewide exercises per year, to get more realistic practice and further train the staff. While we hope to never have a situation that necessitates using our Emergency Operations Center, the Eastern Region is fully prepared to continue its high level of operation and assist in any way.
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New bike and pedestrian trail needs your help to find a name
The Washington State Department of Transportation invites citizens in the area to help name the adjacent pedestrian-bike path that is under construction as part of the North Spokane Corridor (NSC).
When fully completed, the 10.5 mile trail will parallel the new highway and run the length of the corridor from the Wandermere vicinity down to I-90. It will connect with existing trails such as the Centennial Trail and Ben Burr Trail as well as link neighborhoods along the way. The new trail will also have some excellent scenic viewpoints of the Spokane area.
The first segment of the trail will open next year from Farwell Rd. to Freya Rd. in Morgan Acres. Additional sections will open as the NSC project advances.
After the names are submitted, a committee of local citizens and leaders will review the entries and choose the trail name.
To submit a suggestion for the trail name, go to the north Spokane Corridor website at: http://www.nscfreeway.com/ and click on the “Help Name the Trail” link.
The NSC facility already captures some of the local flavor in some of the design features along the route. For example, the Morgan Acres bridges have a "wagon wheel" motif, the bridges to the north have the "Children of the Sun" motif, the Perry bridge has the flying and hiking herons (requested by Friends of the Little Spokane River) and they all have the basalt finish molded into the concrete. The Department hopes to have a similar community connection with the name of the new trail system.
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US 2/Deep Creek Bridge rehab project
This is a bridge preservation project to rehabilitate the existing Deep Creek Bridge. The existing deteriorated concrete baluster rail was removed and replaced with a steel “Thrie” beam guardrail.
The failing sidewalk on the south side of the bridge was removed, and new concrete railbases were constructed. This work required a total of 41 cubic yards of concrete.
Damaged areas on the columns and girders supporting the bridge were repaired using a high strength mortar. Also, there were significant voids under the approach slabs leading up to the bridge, which were caused by water seeping under the roadway and washing out the material under the slabs. A See Snake, which is a video camera normally used inside long pipes and electrical conduit, was inserted into the void to determine the extent of the washout. Twelve-inch holes were cored into the concrete slabs and controlled density fill material was placed in the hole under the approach slab to fill in this void.
There was approximately six inches of existing asphalt on the bridge. About half of this asphalt was removed by grinding to reduce loading on the bridge and improve the drainage across the bridge. The bridge and transitions were then repaved, significantly improving the ride quality and protecting the concrete bridge deck.
This project is scheduled to be completed October 14.
For the majority of the project motorists were directed by a temporary traffic signal system providing alternating one lane traffic control 24 hours a day. To provide additional safety for the motorists and workers, the speed was reduced to 30 mph through the work zone. The reduced speed and signal allowed traffic to move smoothly and safely through the work zone with limited delays.
The sidewalk on the bridge had also deteriorated. Because the asphalt pavement was placed up to the level of the sidewalk, traffic was travelling on the sidewalk, assuming this was part of the driving surface, when the reality was; the sidewalk was never intended to take the weight of vehicle traffic. The sidewalk was removed, a new railbase constructed, and the guardrail was installed near the location of the old curbline.
Work was wrapped up earlier this month.