Tag: Washington: Page 8

Roadbuilding

Washington named most ‘Bicycle-Friendly State’ for 7th year

For the seventh consecutive year, Washington state has earned the top spot among the League of American Bicyclists’ “Bicycle-Friendly State” rankings. Each year, the organization numerically ranks each U.S. state according to the efforts the state have taken to make biking easier and safer. The rankings are released annually at the start of National Bike […]

May 2, 2014

Roadbuilding

Washington State’s Willapa River Bridge opens

The Willapa River Bridge on State Route 6 in Pacific County, Washington is set to open to motorists on Wednesday, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced this week. WSDOT noted that contractor Rotschy Inc. intends to shift traffic to the new bridge by Wednesday afternoon. Construction on the 36-foot-wide concrete bridge began last […]

April 29, 2014

Roadbuilding

Ellensburg Bull Wears Orange, Promotes Work Zone Awareness in Washington

As National Work Zone Awareness week came to a close last Friday, I asked you what your agency did to raise awareness in your city or state. Maria Fischer, a Kittitas County (Washington) Public Works engineering tech, responded to tell me about several ways the agency spread the word. Fischer said the agency alerted the […]

April 18, 2014

Construction Equipment

Lady Bird is the 1,300-ton tunnel-boring machine digging DC’s 13-mile sewer tunnel (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

[imagebrowser id=46] Each year in Washington, D.C., about 2 billion gallons of raw sewage is dumped into the Potomac River, the Anacostia River and Rock Creek, according to a report from the Washington Post. But Lady Bird, a massive tunnel-boring machine, is working to change that. The machine is digging a $2.6 billion 13-mile tunnel system […]

March 19, 2014

Construction Equipment

Repairs to Big Bertha will require a 12-story pit and removing the tunnel-boring machine’s cutterhead

Officials from the Washington State Department of Transportation have announced that in order to repair the world’s largest tunnel-boring machine, her head will need to come off. The announcement, which came during a presentation to city council members in Seattle, comes nearly three weeks after WSDOT officials announced that Big Bertha would be out of […]

February 27, 2014

Home

Construction worker uncovers mammoth tusk from Ice Age (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

While excavating for plumbing trenches on the jobsite of a high-rise apartment complex in the Seattle, Washington neighborhood of south Union Lake, a construction worker uncovered what may be the greatest archaeological find in the city’s history. And he did it with just a shovel. Transit plumbing worker Joe Wells moved a pile of dirt […]

February 18, 2014

Construction Equipment

Tunnel-boring machine Big Bertha shut down for “months” due to complexity of needed repairs

Washington State Department of Transportation officials say Big Bertha, the world’s largest tunnel-boring machine, is likely out of commission for months. An inspection conducted after the machine overheated in late January found that several cutterhead openings were clogged with dirt along with considerable damage to seals around the machine’s main bearing, according to a report […]

February 11, 2014

Construction Equipment

Tunnel-boring machine Big Bertha moves forward 2 feet in test run to see if blockage is fully removed

After nearly two months of downtime caused by a steel pipe stuck in her teeth, Big Bertha, the world’s largest tunnel-boring machine, briefly went back to work beneath Seattle. According to a report from the Associated Press, the Washington State Transportation Department announced that Bertha moved two feet on Tuesday which was just enough progress […]

January 30, 2014

Success Stories

Concrete work the “sweet spot” for Wm. Winkler Co., 2014 Contractor of the Year finalist

“We love to do anything that involves concrete,” says Brian Winkler, 47, president of Wm. Winkler Co., one of 12 finalists in the 2014 Contractor of the Year program. “It’s everywhere and it’s sustainable, It’s a very versatile material.” Concrete has been Wm. Winkler Co.’s material of choice since Brian’s grandfather started the firm in […]

January 28, 2014

Construction Equipment

Unstoppable Force, Immovable Object: Seattle’s Big Bertha halted by mystery object

Has Big Bertha met her match? She has, at least for the time being. The world’s largest tunnel-boring machine was recently brought to a halt 60 feet beneath the streets of Seattle, Washington when it hit an unknown object and could move no farther, reported KOMOnews.com. The five-story head of the machine was completely brought […]

December 19, 2013

Roadbuilding

20,000 Washington residents expected to celebrate Walk to School Day

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced Monday that it estimates 20,000 students, parents, teachers and community leaders in Washington will participate in International Walk to School Day on Wednesday. Walk to School Day is celebrated to encourage students to try walking or biking to school rather than driving or riding in a motor […]

October 7, 2013

Roadbuilding

Crews move I-5 permanent replacement span into place

[Correction: The article previously noted that WSDOT expects work to be completed in early October. It has been edited to reflect the correct time frame, in mid November.) The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced Sunday that the permanent replacement bridge for the Interstate 5 Skagit River Bridge opened to traffic over the weekend. […]

September 16, 2013