A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Washington Jobs Now - New Aberdeen Transit Station! …Next stop: new downtown!
Grays Harbor commissioners Mike Wilson and Al Carter cut a ceremonial ribbon to celebrate the completion of the Aberdeen Transit Station improvement project. Employees of Aberdeen Transit stand behind. |
Members of the Aberdeen High School Marching Band laid down the beat for a mini-Michael Jackson clone in Downtown Aberdeen Tuesday, March 9, to celebrate a bigger and better Aberdeen Transit Station. Partly funded by federal economic stimulus dollars, the newly remodeled and expanded station is a sign of great things to come for this town, as well as WSDOT’s statewide mission to expand transit service and choices.
“(The new station) means the start of a whole, brand-new look for this town,” said Aberdeen Mayor Bill Simpson.
Grays Harbor Transit Board Chairman and County Commissioner Mike Wilson told a crowd of community members, bus drivers and frequent passengers that the project was a result of strong interagency partnerships. He expressed his appreciation to lawmakers, such as U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, who helped secure the federal funding that enabled the station to be completed. Wilson then joined fellow county Commissioner Al Carter in cutting a ceremonial red ribbon in dedication to the new station.
“I think this is a great project that shows cooperation and dedication,” said WSDOT project manager David Chenaur. “This will be the cornerstone for the revitalization of Downtown Aberdeen.”
Outside the new covered passenger-waiting area, young Michael Jackson impersonator Cole Pearson of Aberdeen, who turns seven this weekend, paid tribute to his idol with a few of the late singer’s signature moves. The show seemed to warm the hearts of bundled onlookers who braved cold wind and light rain.
Work on the Aberdeen Transit Station began last summer, and the new facility opened in January. In addition to adding a new bus station structure, the project improved lighting and added security cameras, sidewalks, bike lockers and 35 park-and-ride spaces. It also improved traffic safety by rerouting buses to through signaled intersections.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds filled a $500,000 shortfall for the $1.75 million project and created 49 jobs in the Grays Harbor community.
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Maintenance & Operations feature - WSDOT talks trash: Adopt-a-Highway that is
Adopt-A-Highway volunteers from the Christian Faith Center in Federal Way clean along the I-5 interchange at SR 18 and Weyerhauser Way. They collected 12 bags of trash and a bucket of glass. |
WSDOT is stepping up its recruitment efforts for its Adopt-a-Highway program in light of recent program cuts. With a significant reduction in the Department of Ecology's litter-removal program, the need for volunteer groups and company sponsors to fill that gap is now greater than ever.
The Department of Ecology estimates that more than 12 million pounds of trash are tossed or blown onto interstate, state and county roads each year. Program reductions for litter control means there will be more garbage along our state's roadways.
There are ways you can help keep Washington clean by adopting a section of highway. Participating volunteer groups agree to clean up the "adopted" highway section four times each year. WSDOT supplies litter bags and safety materials for volunteer groups. Businesses who choose to sponsor an adopted highway section agree to have a contractor clean the area six times each year. This can be the roadside, median or interchange.
Currently there are 1,200 volunteer groups participating in the program along with 150 business sponsors. Together they have adopted 35 percent of the state's highways - and there's room for more. WSDOT appreciates all the hard work and efforts these volunteers have put forth and encourages you to help keep Washington "Everclean and Evergreen."
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Update of projects under way
I-5 Ridgefield - WSDOT’s contractor on the I-5, SR 501 Ridgefield Interchange project will reach a major construction milestone when they set girders for the new SR 501 bridge on March 10, 11 and 15. This major milestone comes with major impacts to traffic on I-5. Crews will detour up to 600 vehicles per hour through the existing SR 501 interchange while I-5 is closed for safety. Two large cranes will lift the 130 foot-long, 150,000-pound girders off the back of a semi truck and into place across the interstate. Each of the two bridge spans has 14 girders and crews will place and stabilize up to five girders each night. After all of the girders are in place, crews will form the bridge deck, install reinforcing steel mats, and start pouring concrete. The project is on-schedule and expected to be complete in late 2011.
I-5 Fife - WSDOT is prepared to shift southbound I-5 traffic onto new pavement that will ultimately be the first I-5 HOV lanes in Pierce County. Work depends on dry weather to complete striping and could take place during the weekend of March 12 -13. Crews recently completed widening a 1.5-mile segment of median from Port of Tacoma Road to 54th Avenue East. Shifting I-5 traffic into the median area allows widening activities to begin on the outside shoulder and on- and off-ramps to accommodate the new HOV lanes. A similar shift for northbound I-5 traffic is scheduled. Widening in the median from north of 54th Avenue East to the King County line continues through May 2010. When complete in late 2011, the project adds new HOV lanes on northbound and southbound I-5 from the King County line to the Port of Tacoma Road interchange in Fife, about three miles in each direction.
SR 16 Tacoma - Crews rebuilding the Nalley Valley Viaduct are preparing to shift westbound SR 16 traffic onto a new temporary roadway and closing the ramp to Sprague Avenue for one year. Weather permitting, crews will close westbound SR 16 overnight over the weekend of March 20 - 21. During the closure, crews will construct the crossover pavement from the existing westbound viaduct to the existing eastbound viaduct. They will also complete placement of the traffic barrier and finalize the detour lane striping. Once this work is complete, westbound traffic will be rerouted to the temporary roadway, making way for new roadways and bridges. The Sprague Avenue exit, which carries 12,000 vehicles a day, will remain closed through project completion in spring 2011.
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Announcements
Service reduced on the Seattle/Bremerton ferry route due to vessel repairs
The 124-car Kitsap was tugged to drydock at Todd Pacific Shipyards in Seattle for repairs on Thursday, March 11. Onboard crews discovered a small crack in the vessel’s hull during a routine inspection on March 9 while the Kitsap was tied up overnight at Bremerton. The crack, located three feet below the waterline on the No. 2 end (Seattle facing) starboard (north facing) side, resulted in a small amount of water in two of the hull’s compartment spaces. The vessel is expected to remain out of service through the last part of the week of March 8 and the weekend.
Transportation Commission Seeks Name Proposals For The Next New Ferry
Construction of the second new 64-car ferry is getting underway and the Transportation Commission wants to hear ideas for names from people across the state. Of the 23 vessels currently operating in Puget Sound, 21 have names reflecting the state’s tribal heritage. The other two are named the Rhododendron and the Evergreen State.
The request for ferry name proposals will remain open until April 30th, 2010. After that time, the Transportation Commission will begin its review and public comment process. Final selection of the name will occur at the Commission’s July 13 & 14 meeting in Olympia (exact date and time yet to be determined). Additional information on ferry naming can be found on the Commission web site at: http://www.wstc.wa.gov/Naming/default.htm
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March meetings and events
16 & 17, Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monthly meeting, Washington State Transportation Commission - Olympia: The Washington State Transportation Commission will hold its regular monthly meeting. The two-day meeting will cover many topics including possible action on toll rates for the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (TNB), continued discussions leading to toll setting later in the year for the SR 520 Bridge, and work on the state’s 20-year transportation plan. The Washington State Transportation Commission provides a public forum for transportation policy development. As the State Tolling Authority, the Commission sets tolls for state highways and bridges and fares for Washington State Ferries. Location: Transportation Building, 310 Maple Park Ave. SE, Olympia.
17, Wednesday, 4 - 7 p.m., Community meeting, SR 3 Belfair Bypass - Belfair: WSDOT staff will conduct a public outreach process to identify and respond to community concerns regarding the Belfair Bypass project. Participants will have the opportunity to hear their neighbors' comments about the project and speak as a court reporter transcribes their comments. Location: North Mason High School Gym, 200 E. Campus Drive, Belfair.
Express Lane Archive
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