Tag: Washington: Page 7

Roadbuilding

Seattle voters approve levy for $930 million transportation funding plan

Voters in Seattle voted yes to the “Transportation Levy to Move Seattle,“ which will provide $930 million over nine years to fund transportation projects in the city through a property tax increase. The levy would cost the homeowner of a median priced home in the Seattle, $450,000, roughly $275 per year. Homeowners have been paying […]

November 5, 2015

Roadbuilding

Washington State DOT releases public transportation plan for comment

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is seeking public input on its recently released draft transportation plan. The plan puts forth WSDOT’s goals in improving the state’s public transportation system, which includes bike and pedestrian paths. “All of our lives are better because of public transportation,” WSDOT Assistant Secretary Amy Scarton said. “Whether it’s […]

October 27, 2015

Roadbuilding

Idaho joins Washington and Colorado DOTs in replacing Mile 420 markers

Milepost 420 isn’t exactly a common sign in America. Most states don’t even have roads that reach 420 miles in length, but for those that do, the signs have become a target for fans of marijuana. According to the Spokesman Review, Idaho just joined Washington and Colorado in replacing the signs with one that’s not featuring the […]

August 21, 2015

Roadbuilding

Washington state DOT testing zig-zagged road lines to get drivers’ attention

Washington is trying out a European approach to getting drivers attention at a busy crossing path. According to KIRO TV, the Washington State Department of Transportation recently painted the zig-zagged lanes on a state highway in Arlington, Washington. WSDOT traffic engineer Mark Bandy said he got the idea from spending part of his youth in […]

August 20, 2015

Roadbuilding

Asphalt truck driver hospitalized after rollover in Washington

A woman driving an asphalt truck in Cel Elum, Washington, was sent to the hospital after a rollover crash earlier this week. The Yakima Herald reported that Claire Piper, 39, was driving the truck on Interstate 90 early Tuesday morning when she went off the road and overcorrected twice. Piper lost control and the truck swerved across […]

July 31, 2015

Roadbuilding

Cigarettes are causing roadside fires in Washington almost daily

Cigarette-sparked fires are becoming a daily occurrence in Washington, and the problem has worsened to the point that the state’s Department of Transportation has issued a warning. According to the Seattle Times, the latest fire caused by cigarette butts thrown from a vehicle shut down traffic on Interstate 5 on Thursday during rush hour near Lacey, Washington. The […]

July 28, 2015

Roadbuilding

Board rules WSDOT should have given contractor more warning about pipe struck by Big Bertha before stall

In regard to the drilling of the new State Route 99 tunnel below Seattle, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has few friends left. There remains disagreement between the department and the city of Seattle over who will pay to repair a water main damaged during the excavation of a repair pit for Big Bertha, […]

May 12, 2015

Roadbuilding

Winners of PCI Design Awards announced

The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) has announced the winners of the prestigious 2014 PCI Design Awards. Oldcastle Precast’s North Milliken Avenue underpass project in Ontario, CA, took home the award in the Best Non-Highway Bridges category. The railroad underpass was a redesign from another material that saved the project over $ 1 million. The bridge […]

October 7, 2014

Roadbuilding

Deadliest and safest places to drive in the United States

Road safety is always a concern, regardless of where you live. The good news is road fatalities across the United States are down 23 percent since 2005. The bad news: road fatalities still happen far too often. Michael Sivak, research professor at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, examined individual fatality rates per distance […]

September 5, 2014

Roadbuilding

Will the Real Leader Please Stand Up on Nationwide Tolling?

It’s time to take a much closer look at tolling on a national level to fund our transportation infrastructure, but we will require leadership at a whole new level. The existing method, the gas tax, is obsolete. I won’t waste another word discussing why it’s broken because the design and construction industry has heard the […]

August 21, 2014

Roadbuilding

21 states receiving millions to repair storm-damaged roads

The Department of Transportation announced $334 million in emergency funds will be used to help 21 states repair roads and bridges damaged by storms and floods. Colorado will be getting $130 million, which is by far the more than any other state. The funds will help the state fix several roads and bridges damaged by […]

August 11, 2014

Construction Equipment

Truck hauling excavator collides with 5 bridges, taking a chunk out of each (PHOTOS)

While being hauled by a truck traveling through Thurston County, Washington, last week, an excavator’s boom collided with five different bridges before the driver finally pulled over. According to a report from The News Tribune in Tacoma, the Washington State Department of Transportation says that all five of the bridges will require repairs. The driver of the truck, […]

July 23, 2014