A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Photo: WSDOT is one of the first states to activate Smarter Highways, a high-tech traffic management system.
 |
It’s new, it’s smart and it’s coming to a highway near you. Starting August 10, drivers on I-5 near Seattle will have their first chance to check out WSDOT’s new Smarter Highways technology in action.
The new, overhead signs are mounted every half-mile above northbound I-5 between Boeing Access Road and I-90. The signs will automatically alert drivers to change lanes if an incident blocks traffic ahead, or warn them to adjust their speed before reaching slower-moving traffic. The new signs will help reduce rear-end collisions, allow drivers to exit earlier to reach alternate routes, and give drivers advance warning so they can change lanes well before blocking incidents like stalls or collisions.
When the signs go live for the first time, drivers will notice different messages than the test patterns of dots, symbols and test lettering. That means drivers will need to brush up on their Smarter Highways knowledge so they know what to do if they see reduced speed limits, yellow arrows or red Xs on signs above specific lanes.
Fortunately, WSDOT offers several ways for I-5 drivers to learn more about the Smarter Highways signs before they go live:
Installing Smarter Highways on I-5 will help keep traffic moving during construction to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct. The same system will also be activated on SR 520 later this fall and on I-90 in spring 2011.
top
Maintenance & Operations Feature - Some days, it's more than just fixing a tire
Photo: WSDOT crews work to re-open the highway after a 12-vehicle collision Friday, July 30.
 |
WSDOT’s Incident Response Team (IRT) motto is “Clearing Roads, Helping Drivers.” Every incident the IRT responds to is different, and they faced a difficult challenge on July 30 when a major highway closed for three hours and 30 minutes on a Friday afternoon.
I-5 is the most significant freight highway on the West Coast. It’s critical to our economy and the busiest commuter roadway in western Washington. Just south of Olympia, a section of I-5 through the Centralia area is two lanes in each direction. As a result, even minor incidents can result in significant traffic backups. A widening project is currently under construction on this segment of I-5 that will improve traffic flow through Lewis County and benefit freight mobility.
Within the I-5 construction work zone at 1:40 p.m. on Friday, July 30, a collision occurred that was anything but minor. The 12-vehicle pile-up on northbound I-5 was about as complex as you can get. Our crews had to close the northbound lanes, detouring vehicles through Centralia, and back onto I-5 in Grand Mound. The back-ups reached 10 miles northbound, and the visual distraction led to a 15-mile southbound back-up.
The collision involved several semi-trucks and resulted in serious injuries. Adding to that, the semi-trucks spilled fuel, which made it a hazardous materials spill. Our IRT crews and other emergency responders closed the highway so they could get emergency vehicles and tow trucks to and from the scene. The emergency responders were especially in demand as a woman stuck in the back-up went into labor. The highway closure allowed responders to get her to the hospital in time.
Crews re-opened I-5 at 5:10 p.m. on July 30. We thank drivers for their patience.
WSDOT asks drivers to Give ‘em a Brake. Follow the work zone signs and other directions. When driving through a work zone, slow down, pay attention and merge as soon as possible.
top
SR 6 Pe Ell - Crews started paving and chip sealing 16 miles of SR 6 between Pe Ell and I-5 (mileposts 28 to 53) on July 30 to preserve and smooth the highway, and reduce the need for future highway repairs. Crews will pave four miles of SR 6 through the city of Pe Ell and chip seal 12 miles from Pe Ell east to I-5. Chip sealing is a cost-effective way to stretch preservation funds, address pavement damage and extend the roadway life. The $3.1 million project is funded mainly through federal highway improvement dollars and is expected to be complete this fall.
I-5 Tacoma – WSDOT crews began widening and improving I-5 from Portland Avenue to the Port of Tacoma on August 2. This "pre-work" opens the door for future improvements that will ultimately help improve traffic flow on I-5 through Tacoma. Crews will widen and retrofit the I-5 bridges at Portland Avenue and Bay Street to meet current earthquake design standards, and improve the ground along I-5 to support embankments for new bridges spanning the Puyallup River. In addition to widening the I-5 bridges, the project realigns the northbound I-5 exit to SR 167, adds high-performance median barrier at Portland Avenue, and installs traffic sensors and cameras to provide the public real-time traffic information. WSDOT will also build retaining walls to prepare for the future Puyallup River bridges. The work is scheduled to be completed in late 2011. Approximately 196,000 drivers travel this stretch of highway each day. Throughout the two-year project, drivers can expect nighttime lane closures, city street closures, traffic shifts and narrow I-5 lanes at Bay Street and Portland Avenue.
SR 18 Auburn - Work began on SR 18 near Peasley Canyon to permanently repair damage from January's large landslide that closed the westbound highway lanes. Crews will build a new, 10-foot-high, 600-foot-long containment wall along the westbound highway lanes to block future slide debris from reaching the roadway. The wall will extend east from the end of the existing containment wall near the truck-climbing lane. The majority of construction will take place during the day and out drivers' way, as crews set steel piles and construct the wooden containment wall. The $495,800 federally-funded emergency repair project is expected to wrap up by mid-September.
I-5 Blaine – Crews will close all lanes of southbound I-5 in Blaine for 12 days, August 9-20, to repave the bridge over D Street and make the ride smoother for drivers. Drivers will detour around the closure via the D Street interchange - down the off-ramp, through the roundabout and then back onto I-5 via the on-ramp. The 12-day closure and detour should cause minor delays – less than five minutes - for the approximately 7,400 drivers who use this stretch of I-5 each day. The bridge work is a continuation of the $2.8 million project that recently built two new roundabouts at the I-5/D Street interchange. The work is fully funded by the federal government and complements improvements the General Service Administration made at the I-5, Peace Arch border crossing.
top
Inaugural sailing of the Chetzemoka postponed
The August 29 inaugural sailing of the new Chetzemoka ferry is being postponed to await results of additional sea trials to test excessive vibration. The sea trials include a series of operating parameters that will determine if the 64-vehicle ferry can operate properly on the route between Port Townsend and Whidbey Island. A new date for the first sailing between Port Townsend and Keystone has not been set.
New Deputy Chief with Ferries Division
Capt. George Capacci has been named Deputy Chief of Operations and Construction for WSDOT’s Ferries Division. He will oversee operations, terminal engineering, and vessel maintenance, preservation and engineering. He will start on August 16 and report to Assistant Secretary David Moseley.
Capt. Capacci served 20 years in the U.S. Coast Guard and more recently was vice president of Fleet Operations for B.C. Ferries and general manager for the Alaska Marine Highway System. Since 2009, he has been the Washington State Ferries Division North Region port captain. He has a Masters of Public Administration from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science in General Engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
top
11, 3:30 - 7 p.m., Open house, SR 150 Slope Stabilization Project - Manson: Meet with project staff to learn how a rock stabilization project three miles east of Manson on SR 150 may affect your commute. Work starts next March and may cause up to 30 minute delays. Location: Manson High School, 1000 Totem Pole Road, Manson.
17, 10 a.m., Work party, SR 303 Manette Bridge Replacement Project - Bremerton: This project replaces the 1930 Manette Bridge with a new structure. The new bridge will accommodate motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians, preserve the important connection across the Port of Washington Narrows, and improve mobility and safety in the Bremerton area. Location: H.O. “Whitey” Domstad Viewscape, Shore Road near the bridge, East Bremerton.
Express Lane Archive
top