Sept. 2, 2010
Know before you go this Labor Day weekend
Are you ready for Labor Day weekend travel? This year, AAA predicts about 10 percent more travelers will be taking trips during the holiday weekend compared to last year. Our website offers times and places drivers will likely see delays Labor Day weekend, including US 2, Interstate 90, Interstate 5 at the Canadian border and south of Olympia.
Most construction sites around the state will suspend construction for Labor weekend to help ease congestion for drivers.
Use our online tools to help keep you moving. Don’t forget that more people use Washington State Ferries and Amtrak Cascades trains over the weekend. More travel tips can be found online.
Workgroup meeting, Seattle City Council briefing to address SR 520 design, transit connections
Two key meetings are coming up on the latest design refinements and transit connections for the SR 520 preferred alternative. The next meeting of the ESSB 6392 Workgroup is Thursday, Sept. 9, and a briefing is planned at the Seattle City Council on Monday, Sept. 13.
ESSB 6392 Workgroup meeting
- When: 3–5 p.m., Sept. 9
- Where: Puget Sound Regional Council, Suite 500, 1011 Western Ave., Seattle.
- Topics: Workgroup members will discuss draft recommendations including roadway operations, bus stop locations and connectivity, light rail accommodation, Montlake Bascule Bridge phasing and traffic management plans. The workgroup, which includes staff from the city of Seattle, transit agencies and the University of Washington, will also listen to public comment at the end of the meeting.
Seattle City Council SR 520 Special Committee meeting
- When: 2:30 p.m., Sept. 13
- Where: Seattle City Council chambers
- Topics: Draft recommendations on design refinements and transit connections will be presented.
The workgroup will accept public comment on a draft recommendations report from Sept. 13 – 24. The draft report will be posted on the Workgroup’s website. A final recommendations report will be submitted to the governor and state Legislature Oct. 1.
Wrap-up: SR 520 bridge inspections and tour
A few weekends ago we closed the floating bridge for its annual inspection. Cross-lake travelers used I-90 or went around Lake Washington while crews worked hard to get the bridge ready for winter weather by making repairs and inspecting the bridge. Preliminary inspection results showed no new issues with the aging floating bridge.
During the closure, nearly two dozen raffle winners joined local media, elected officials and agency members on a tour of the floating bridge. They learned the latest about the SR 520 program and the big changes coming to the corridor in the next year. See event photos on the WSDOT Flickr page.
Changes on the horizon include Smarter Highways signs scheduled to be activated this fall, SR 520 bridge tolling planned for next spring and the beginning of construction on the Eastside Transit and HOV Project early next year.
We’re also gearing up for construction in Grays Harbor for new bridge pontoons, and beginning our search for a design-build contractor to build the new, safer SR 520 floating bridge.
Fieldwork to determine if Port of Tacoma site might host pontoon construction
This week, we started fieldwork at the Port of Tacoma to determine if it might be a possible location for building some of the pontoons and anchors we need for a new SR 520 floating bridge.
We need 77 total pontoons of various sizes for the new six-lane floating bridge. Crews are scheduled to begin construction on the first 33 pontoons at a casting basin in Grays Harbor in 2011.
This fieldwork will help to determine if the Port of Tacoma site could be used to build some of the remaining 44 pontoons. The Concrete Technology Corporation site in Tacoma and the Grays Harbor site could also be used to build these remaining 44 pontoons.
We have an aggressive schedule to open a new floating bridge to drivers in 2014 and the Port of Tacoma could provide contractors with an optional location for building floating bridge pontoons.
SR 520: Important dates to know
SR 520 tolling discussions continue at state Transportation Commission
The Washington State Transportation Commission is scheduled to set toll rates later this year on the SR 520 floating bridge, and start collecting tolls in spring 2011. Commission meetings are open to the public, and hearings about toll rates are expected to be scheduled in coming months. In the meantime, the commission is receiving briefings on the project at its meetings. Meeting information is online.