A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Washington Jobs Now - US 97 Chelan Falls South passing lane and paving project
Maintenance & Operations Feature - State highways and campaign signs: What's the law?
Update of projects under way
Announcements
June meetings
Washington Jobs Now - US 97 Chelan Falls South passing lane and paving project
Crews remove existing pavement markings to re-stripe for two lanes and allow unrestricted traffic while the passing lane is built. |
A significant safety, mobility and preservation project on the primary Central Washington route between Canada and Oregon is underway on the east bank of the Columbia River, in Douglas County. The US 97 – South of Chelan Falls Passing Lane project and the US 97 – Orondo Northward Paving project were combined into one, saving thousands of dollars and reducing traffic impacts during construction. The projects not only build a mile-long passing lane in an area with a historically high collision rate, but also resurface 13 highway miles from Orondo north to Chelan Falls.
Funding for the $2.2 million project is a combination of state and federal dollars, which includes $1.88 million of 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding. As a result of being selected as a federal stimulus project, construction could be advanced a year.
The safety improvement part of the project constructs a passing lane on US 97, (the east bank of the Columbia River in west Douglas County), south of Chelan Falls. There have been numerous passing-related collisions due to limited passing opportunities. This project addresses the risk of head-on collisions by providing passing opportunities in a designated passing lane.
The preservation part of the project will upgrade the structural integrity and extend the life of 12.81 miles of US 97's existing asphalt surface. New signage, striping, rumble strips and guardrail are also included in the project.
The project was awarded to Granite Northwest, Inc. for $1,622,622, two percent below the engineering estimate. Construction began June 1 and should be complete in 50 working days by mid-August.
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Maintenance & Operations Feature - State highways and campaign signs: What's the law?
By law, directional, regulatory and motorist information signs are the only types of signs that may be allowed within the state highway right-of-way. |
As campaign season gets into full swing, campaign signs start appearing next to state highways and local roads.
Campaign signs are not allowed in the state highway right-of-way. It’s not always easy to know if a given location is within the boundaries of a state highway right-of-way, but there are clues in many locations:
- Utility poles are typically located inside the right-of-way. If a sign location is being considered between a utility pole and the roadway shoulder, it’s likely the sign will be removed.
- Many locations also have a fence line separating the right-of-way from private property. If a sign location is being considered on the roadway side of a right-of-way fence, it’s probable that the sign is in violation and will be removed.
Local municipalities also have their own regulations, which may differ from city to city and county to county.
Under the Washington Administrative Code 468-66 , temporary political signs are allowed on private property visible from state highways as ”on-premise” signs and no fee or permit is required.
To legally post campaign signs on private property visible from state highway, the property owner must give consent, and the signs must comply with all provisions of WAC 468-66, as well as any local agency sign ordinances. The signs must also meet the following requirements:
- Temporary political campaign signs are limited to a maximum size of 32 square feet in area.
- Temporary political campaign signs must be removed within 10 days following the election.
The best way to determine the boundary lines for a state highway right-of-way is to check with WSDOT Outdoor Advertising Specialist Pat O’Leary. He can be reached at OLearyP@wsdot.wa.gov or by calling (360) 705-7296. You will need to provide the state route number (I-5, SR 28, US 2, US 97, etc.) and the name of the nearest intersection or approximate milepost.
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Update of projects under way
I-5 Centralia – Crews began construction on June 2 to widen I-5 in northern Lewis County. The I-5, Blakeslee Junction to Grand Mound project is the third in a series of four I-5 safety and mobility projects to be constructed between Rush Road in Lewis County and Maytown in Thurston County. The project widens four miles of I-5 from two lanes to three in each direction between the Blakeslee Railroad Junction and the US 12 interchange at Grand Mound. The project is expected to be complete in 2012.
SR 4 Longview - Drivers can travel SR 4 with a little more ease this summer as crews wrapped up work on a project to stabilize an unsteady slope above the highway just west of the Germany Creek Bridge (milepost 50.2) near Stella. The SR 4, Germany Creek Rockfall Stabilization project helps improve safety on this section of SR 4 by reducing the risk of rocks falling onto the highway. Crews removed approximately 200 cubic yards of unstable loose rock, soil and debris on this project and installed 12 large rock anchors to hold bigger rocks in place and further stabilize the slope above the highway. The project was originally expected to be complete in mid-June and crews were able to complete the work nearly two weeks ahead of schedule.
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Announcements
Project awarded to help reduce congestion and collisions on SR 9 in Lake Stevens
Drivers and residents near Lake Stevens will see safety and congestion improvements this year on SR 9 between Lundeen Parkway and SR 92 . WSDOT awarded the project to Granite Construction of Watsonville, CA. Construction will begin this summer and is expected to complete in 2011.
During construction, crews will:
- Widen SR 9 from Lundeen Parkway to SR 92 from two lanes to four.
- Lengthen the right-turn lanes in both directions of SR 9 at Lundeen Parkway.
- Add a second left-turn lane from eastbound Lundeen Parkway to northbound SR 9.
- Lengthen the northbound left-turn lanes from SR 9 to Soper Hill Road.
- Lengthen the southbound right-turn lane from SR 9 to Soper Hill Road.
- Separate and improve the connections with the Washington State Patrol Weigh Station on southbound SR 9.
- Improve lighting and traffic signals on SR 9 at the intersections of Lundeen Parkway and Soper Hill Road.
- Improve highway drainage water quality, and control runoff into an adjacent fish-bearing stream.
Recap of Memorial Day weekend traffic
While those of you who sat through the traffic backups may not believe it, the numbers from our Traffic Operations show there were actually fewer drivers who crossed I-90 Snoqualmie Pass this Memorial Day weekend as compared to last year. There was also less holiday traffic on I-5 through Lewis County and US 2 over Stevens Pass. However, there was a slight increase in traffic on I-5 near the Canadian Border. For more information, see the WSDOT Blog .
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June meetings
8, Tuesday, 7 – 8 p.m., Presentation, SR 520 Tolling – Clyde Hill: WSDOT’s Toll Division will provide an update on SR 520 tolling to the Clyde Hill City Council. Location: Clyde Hill City Hall, 9605 Northeast 24th St., Clyde Hill.
23, Wednesday, 6:45 – 8 p.m., Presentation, SR 520 Tolling – Seattle: WSDOT’s Toll Division will provide an update on SR 520 tolling to Laurelhurst Community Club at their Annual Neighbors Meeting. Location: Laurelhurst Community Center, 4554 NE 41st St., Seattle.
24, Thursday, 5 – 7 p.m., Public hearing, SR 520 Pontoon Construction Project - Aberdeen: WSDOT project staff will hold a hearing to receive public comments on the draft environmental impact statement for the SR 520 Pontoon Construction Project . Location: Aberdeen High School, 410 North G St., Aberdeen.
Express Lane Archive
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