A Weekly Summary of WSDOT News and Activities
Photo: Looking to the south, you can see the NSC northbound lanes stretching off into the distance. WSDOT opened the northbound side in 2009 with one lane in each direction for two-way traffic. The new southbound lanes will run parallel to Freya Street near Francis Avenue. You can see the US 2 interchange construction and Farwell Road at bottom.
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The latest round of major work underway on the North Spokane Corridor (NSC) benefits both commuters and freight haulers.
Construction on the 3.7 mile NSC/Francis Avenue to Farwell Road-Southbound Lanes portion began in early September. Crews from Graham Construction and Management are creating a fully-divided highway by adding three southbound lanes and five new highway bridges.
Since August 2009, motorists drove the northbound segment, with one lane open in each direction. When we complete this new job in early 2012, there will be additional travel lanes on the North Spokane Corridor's 10.5 mile north half.
The Transportation Infrastructure Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program funds the $26.7 million project. Washington submitted the North Spokane Corridor along with two other projects in a national, competitive funding process. The TIGER grant is a part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Crews have worked North Spokane Corridor portions since 2001, with major construction underway for seven years. Two other jobs, just to the north, are still under construction. We plan completion in late 2011.
top Photo: New iPhone mobile application showing a Seattle-area flow map.
With the Labor Day holiday upon us, WSDOT makes it even easier for smart phone users to “know before you go.” A new mobile application for iPhone and Android keeps real-time traffic conditions always at hand.
“We know you can’t always be at your computer to check travel conditions, so we are bringing our most popular travel information to your phone,” said WSDOT’s Jeremy Bertrand. “We’re offering our most important information that allows travelers to make decisions about when and where to travel, before they go. As always, we’re reminding motorists to check before they get behind the wheel - don’t text and drive.”
With the new application, iPhone and Android users will have access to WSDOT’s Web-based travel information including:
- Ferries – schedules, travel alerts and routes
- Mountain passes
- Seattle traffic cameras
- Puget Sound highway travel times
- Canadian border wait times
- WSDOT Blog
- Twitter
- Flickr photos
WSDOT introduced the iPhone travel information application on WSDOT’s Twitter website Aug. 30. Since then, there have been 2719 downloads. The Android application has been available for a few months and there are more than 10,046 downloads.
To access these applications, search for “WSDOT” in the Android Market or iTunes App Store. For those who don’t have access to the new, mobile applications, travel information is available on WSDOT’s website or by calling WSDOT’s travel information telephone system at 5-1-1.
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SR 14 Stevenson – Good news for drivers: Sept. 2 marked the last of two-hour-long closures on SR 14. These were necessary for the $3.59 million safety-improvement project in the Columbia River Gorge. Drivers near Dog Mountain endured nearly three months of daily, two-hour highway closures with no detour. Single-lane closures with flagging will continue, while crews complete paving, striping and landscaping work. Drivers can expect 20-minute delays Mondays through Thursdays until we complete work in mid-September.
SR 503 Ariel – Crews have completed repaving and guardrail improvements to the SR 503, Rock Creek Bridge to Fredrickson Road project. The $2.5 million project is funded primarily by a federal grant through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. WSDOT awarded the construction contract to Kerr Contractors, Inc. in April and construction began in June. The project included resurfacing more than 10 miles of SR 503 between Rock Creek Bridge and Fredrickson Road and upgrading the existing guardrail to meet current federal standards. Final construction activities will continue through September with no impacts to traffic.
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Fieldwork begins at Port of Tacoma for possible SR 520 floating bridge pontoon construction
WSDOT crews started preliminary fieldwork to determine whether the Port of Tacoma would be a feasible site to build pontoons and anchors for a new, safer SR 520 floating bridge that will open to drivers in 2014. The fieldwork consists of drilling four borings, measuring up to 150 feet deep, including two groundwater observation wells, and other soil tests.
WSDOT needs 77 total pontoons in various sizes for the new six-lane floating bridge. Crews are scheduled to begin construction on the initial 33 pontoons in spring 2011 at a casting basin in Grays Harbor. This fieldwork study will help to determine if WSDOT can use the Port of Tacoma site to build some of the remaining 44 pontoons. WSDOT also identified the Concrete Technology Corporation site in Tacoma, in addition to the Grays Harbor site, as potential pontoon construction locations.
“Prepare to Stop When Flashing” warning lights on US 12 near Suntides
WSDOT turned on the newly-installed “Prepare to Stop When Flashing” warning lights Aug. 31 on US 12 near the Old Naches Highway intersection at Suntides. “Prepare to Stop When Flashing” signs have two, flashing beacons that alert the motorist when a traffic signal is about to turn red. We are seeking to reduce the number of rear-end collisions at high-speed highway traffic signals and improve efficiency. An advance warning of a signal change provides more time to make an informed decision. To avoid rear-end collisions, drivers need to be alert, pay attention to roadway signs, and prepare to stop when they see flashing yellow lights.
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2 – 6, Thursday – Monday, 12 – 11 p.m., Information booth, WSDOT I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East project - Ellensburg: WSDOT staff will have information on the I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East project and information about projects in Ellensburg and Yakima. Location: Kittitas County Fairgrounds, 512 North Poplar Street, Ellensburg.
9, Thursday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Public meeting, Washington State Transportation Commission – Vancouver: The Washington State Transportation Commission will hold a series of listening sessions across the state to gather public comments on the draft 20-year Washington Transportation Plan - WTP 2030. Location: WSDOT Southwest Region Office, 11018 NE 51st Circle, Vancouver.
14, Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Public meeting, Washington State Transportation Commission – Yakima: The Washington State Transportation Commission will hold a series of listening sessions across the state to gather comments from the public on the draft 20-year Washington Transportation Plan - WTP 2030. Location: Harman Center, 101 North 65th Avenue, Yakima.
15, Wednesday, 6:00 - 8 p.m., Public meeting, US 2/Rice Road project - Sultan: WSDOT staff will hold a public meeting to introduce the US 2/Rice Road improvement project and solicit community feedback. Engineers will give a project presentation at 6:30 p.m. Location: Sultan Middle School Commons, 301 High Avenue, Sultan.
16, Thursday, 4 – 6:30 p.m., Open house, SR 500 – St. Johns Blvd. Interchange project – Vancouver: WSDOT staff will present project information and be available to answer questions at an open house for the SR 500, St. Johns Blvd. Interchange project. Location: Minnehaha Elementary School, 2800 Northeast 54th Street, Vancouver.
18, Saturday, 3 – 4 p.m., Ribbon-cutting, Travel Washington Gold Line bus route – Kettle Falls: WSDOT will host a ribbon-cutting event to launch Travel Washington's new Gold Line bus service, which includes stops between Spokane and Kettle Falls. Location: Kettle Falls Information Center, 425 W. Third Avenue W., Kettle Falls.
Express Lane Archive
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