A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Crews built a test pontoon in Grays Harbor County to get ready for building pontoons for the SR 520 floating bridge.
|
We’ve marked a major milestone toward beginning pontoon construction in Grays Harbor for a new SR 520 floating bridge.
The WSDOT has published the draft environmental impact statement for the
SR 520 Pontoon Construction Project.
The document includes an analysis of the proposal to build a pontoon casting facility in Grays Harbor and 33 pontoons.
The project prepares WSDOT to replace the SR 520 floating bridge in case of an emergency. If the pontoons are not needed for a catastrophic failure, WSDOT will use them in the proposed replacement of the SR 520 bridge, which is scheduled to open to drivers in 2014.
A public hearing and open house is scheduled from 5 - 7 p.m. June 24, at Aberdeen High School, 410 North G St., Aberdeen. Come learn about the SR 520 Pontoon Construction Project and share what you think about our plans and environmental analysis.
To learn more and to review the environmental analysis:
-
Attend the public hearing.
-
View the
draft EIS
.
-
Visit local public libraries in the Grays Harbor area. A full list of libraries is available on our website.
-
Call us at 1-888-520-NEWS (6397) to request a free executive summary and CD or to purchase a printed copy of the document.
To comment:
Online comments must be received and mailed comments must be postmarked by July 12, 2010. Comments will become part of the official public record and will be published with responses in the Final Environmental Impact Statement.
top
WSDOT's IRT is ready to assist you when you need it.
|
Before you head off to enjoy your Memorial Day weekend, we want to let you know about one of WSDOT’s resources that just might make your holiday travel easier. We hope you never have to use this resource, but it’s there for you when you need it.
WSDOT’s
Incident Response Team
(IRT) responds to traffic incidents on many state roadways. They assist stranded motorists and respond to collisions, snowstorms, floods or other disasters. Over the holiday weekend, IRT will be out in service areas where
WSDOT expects heavy traffic
on I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass, US 2 over Steven Pass and two locations on I-5 – the Canadian border crossings and south of Olympia. In the
IRT service areas
, IRT is on-call day and night, 365 days a year.
The IRT serves a crucial role in keeping Washington moving. IRT members are a specially trained group of maintenance employees whose mission is to work in partnership with the Washington State Patrol and other responders to quickly clear roads and help drivers. They restore normal traffic flow as safely and quickly as possible.
WSDOT reminds drivers to
prepare for holiday travel
and drive safely.
top
SR 99 Aurora Bridge Seattle
– Crews began work on May 24 to build a
safety fence on the Aurora Bridge
. The work included installing lights and filters to prevent construction debris from getting in storm drains. Crews also x-rayed the concrete bridge deck to determine where they can safely drill holes for the fence’s anchor bolts. Workers from Massana Construction will build an 8-foot, 9-inch tall fence attached to the outer edge of the 78-year-old bridge to discourage people from jumping off the bridge. Fence construction will begin in early June and continue through the fall. Crews will mainly work Sunday through Thursday nights with occasional daytime work possible.
I-90 Easton
- Crews finished replacing the deteriorated concrete pavement for the
I-90 Lake Easton to Bullfrog project
on May 27. All four lanes of I-90 are now open to traffic from Easton (milepost 70) to Nelson Siding Road (milepost 74), just in time for holiday weekend travel. After Memorial Day weekend, crews will need to put the finishing touches on the project such as removing barrier, sealing joints, permanent striping and other basic safety features, but the remaining upgrades should not impact traffic.
SR 542 Glacier
- Crews will begin construction to replace the problematic
Gallup Creek Bridge
in Glacier the first week of June. The low-clearance bridge is a chokepoint for Gallup Creek and routinely causes the creek to flood across the highway, posing a risk to the highway, drivers and maintenance crews. The improvement project is funded with $11.4 million from the 2005 gas tax package. WSDOT hired contractor Scarsella Brothers, Inc. of Kent, earlier this year to build the new, taller and longer bridge. Work should be complete by summer 2011.
top
WSDOT reopens Chinook Pass in time for Memorial Day weekend
WSDOT maintenance and avalanche crews will open SR 410 over
Chinook Pass
on May 28 at noon. Chinook Pass is one of the state's highest mountain passes (elevation 5,430 ft). Drivers should be aware that the potential for winter driving conditions still exists and to watch for rocks in the roadway. WSDOT crews will clear debris as needed. You can view the 2010 Chinook Pass opening photos on
Flickr
.
WSDOT releases request for proposals to build SR 99 bored tunnel alternative
WSDOT has released a request for proposals to three design-build teams to construct the proposed SR 99 bored tunnel as replacement to the
Alaskan Way Viaduct
in Seattle. The request for proposals describes the scope of the project and sets technical requirements that must be met by the contractors. The total contract value is expected to be between $1 billion and $1.2 billion.
The major items contained in the request are the tunnel boring machine; tunnel boring; the road within the tunnel; ventilation, fire/life safety systems, and electrical systems; two operations buildings; tunnel settlement mitigation; and portal construction.
WSDOT met with the three pre-qualified design-build teams to review the scope of work and contract terms contained in a draft request for proposals, which was released in February. Several changes were made to the request for proposals, including providing incentives to contractors to meet the December 31, 2015, tunnel opening goal, and adding technical credits in the selection process for the contractors’ approach to management, schedule, and settlement mitigation.
top
27, Thursday, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., Community meeting, Washington State Ferries - Anacortes:
WSDOT's Ferries Division (WSF) is holding a
series of meetings
in ferry communities to share information and discuss current ferry issues. Location: Anacortes Chamber, 22nd & O Street, Anacortes.
Express Lane Archive
top