A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Photo: Construction on the new Manette Bridge begins in August when crews from Manson-Mowat: A Joint Venture begin work to replace the 80-year-old structure near Bremerton.
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It’s been an icon in the Bremerton area for the past 80 years, but those years have been neither kind nor gentle to the
Manette Bridge
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Inch-thick rust coats sections of the aging structure, but rust isn’t the only enemy the bridge is fighting a losing battle against. An irreversible chemical reaction between the rebar and concrete used in the footings and columns is slowly corroding the bridge’s support system. A series of repairs in 1949, 1991 and 1996 did not stop the deterioration.
With rehabilitation out of the question, WSDOT and contractors Manson-Mowat: A Joint Venture begin a two-and-a-half year, $57.8 million project this August to replace the structure.
The new Manette Bridge will be constructed just south of the existing bridge. The old bridge will remain open to vehicles and pedestrians for all but the four months crews will use to make final connections from the new bridge to the communities of Manette and Bremerton. The Warren Avenue Bridge, about a mile northwest, will serve as the detour.
The new bridge will be 15-feet wider than the old structure, providing wider shoulders to improve traffic flow and a larger, more pedestrian friendly walkway. The addition of a new roundabout in Manette will further facilitate mobility.
WSDOT executives, local officials and community members are invited to a groundbreaking event, which is tentatively scheduled for mid-August.
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Photo: Traffic was heavy at ferry terminals during the Fourth of July Holiday weekend.
Unlike Memorial Day weekend, drivers traveled later in the evening over I-90 and the delays didn’t materialize for the Independence Day holiday weekend. The Washington State Ferries were as busy as usual, but delays were minimal over the mountain pass highways and into Canada.
Over I-90 Snoqualmie Pass, the traffic volumes were very similar to Independence Day 2008 (also a three-day weekend when Independence Day fell on a Friday), however there was a spike in Monday evening traffic.
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Close to 200,000 vehicles traveled both directions of Snoqualmie Pass between Thursday and Monday, nearly the same amount of vehicles as in 2008.
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Close to 50,000 traveled Monday, almost 10,000 more than in 2008. The heaviest traffic was from noon to 9 p.m.
We noticed more drivers took our advice, traveling later in the day, and saw a large spike in the 8 p.m. hour. That’s a good thing, since spreading the traffic over the day helped reduce backups during peak times, and traveling later helped keep the delays to a minimum.
We also tracked traffic volumes on I-5 and US 2 where we typically see an increase on three-day weekends. If you’re interested in those details, visit our
Blog.
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SR 433 Longview
- WSDOT and Odyssey/Geronimo JV of Houston, Penn. began on June 30 the third and final phase of painting the 81-year-old
SR 433 Lewis and Clark Bridge
in Longview. Crews paint the superstructure of the bridge in sections, beginning with the steel framework supporting the roadway between the bridge piers. This work will take place below the roadway with minimal impacts to drivers. In late August or early September, crews will paint the superstructure above the roadway. During this phase, motorists will encounter narrowed lanes, nighttime single-lane closures and delays of up to 20 minutes. This project delivers more than a fresh coat of paint; it preserves and restores the structural integrity of the bridge, allowing it to handle commuter and heavy freight traffic for years to come.
I-5 Seattle
– Drivers will soon notice more dots and colors lighting up the new electronic signs on I-5 between Boeing Access Road and I-90. It’s the last phase of testing
Smarter Highways
before traffic engineers activate the high-tech traffic management system. WSDOT traffic engineers began a final, 30-day test period July 8 that will run 24-hours-a-day. Red, green or yellow dots may fill the overhead electronic signs. Different colors will help engineers confirm the system reacts to various traffic conditions. When activated, the overhead, electronic signs will automatically alert drivers to change lanes when an incident blocks traffic ahead or to adjust their speed before they reach slower-moving traffic. The signs will help reduce rear-end collisions, allow for earlier detour to alternate routes and smooth the lane shifting caused by stalls or collisions.
US 12 Elma
- WSDOT and contractor, Granite Construction, begin US 12 improvements on July 12, paving a seven-mile section of the roadway and adding centerline rumble strips the length of the 23-mile project between Elma and Old Highway 9. Motorists can expect pilot-car controlled, one-way alternating traffic during roadway paving 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. weeknights, Monday through Friday from the Black River Bridge to Old Highway 9 (mileposts 37.62 and 44.62). The $1.45 million project, which enhances safety and improves the roadway surface, is scheduled to be complete September 15.
I-5 Burlington
- Construction at the
I-5/Chuckanut Drive interchange
in Burlington will move onto the roadway July 11. Crews will close lanes and ramps throughout July while they build a new roundabout at the Josh Wilson Road intersection. Crews will close Chuckanut Drive on the west side of the interchange, between Josh Wilson Road and the Washington State Patrol driveway, and restrict access to and from Josh Wilson Road. On July 18, they will also close the southbound I-5 on- and off-ramps. Crews expect to reopen all roads and ramps and the new single-lane roundabout on July 29. The roundabout will tie the I-5 ramps and Josh Wilson Road into one intersection, helping to reduce collisions and improve traffic flow at the interchange.
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AASHTO report highlights Columbia River Crossing project as an example of critical freight capacity investment
The American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials’ (AASHTO) released a new national
freight capacity report that recognizes the I-5 Columbia River bridges
as one of the most significant chokepoints for the movement of freight from West Coast ports.
AASHTO’s report, Unlocking Freight, is the second in a series of reports that identify the need to increase capacity in our transportation system to unlock gridlock, generate jobs, deliver freight, and connect rural communities. The report states that significantly more freight will move on the nation’s highways in the coming years. By 2020, the U.S. trucking industry will move three billion more tons of freight than it hauls today, which will put another 1.8 million trucks on the road. For Washington and Oregon, more trucks mean more congestion for the I-5 crossing, which provide access to downtown Vancouver; the ports of Portland and Vancouver; rail connections; and industrial, warehouse, and distribution facilities.
To address these issues, the
Columbia River Crossing project
was developed as a bi-state effort between the Washington and Oregon departments of transportation, along with local and regional partners, to relieve congestion and improve safety. The five-mile-long multimodal solution is expected to relieve peak-hour congestion by 70 percent through improvements to the interchanges, replacement of the bridge, and improving access to all modes of transportation. Current project cost estimates are $2.6 billion to $3.6 billion. The project anticipates funding will be shared in roughly equal amounts among Federal, state, and tolling sources.
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20, Tuesday, 7:30 - 10 p.m., Presentation, SR 520 Tolling – Redmond:
WSDOT’s Toll Division will provide an update on
SR 520 tolling
to the city of Redmond City Council. Location: Redmond City Hall Council Chambers, 15670 NE 85th Street, Redmond.
Express Lane Archive
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