Tag: Washington State Department of Transportation: Page 4

Roadbuilding

Roadway Safety Foundation, FHWA honor 10 innovative programs with National Roadway Safety Awards

The Roadway Safety Foundation (RSF) and the Federal Highway Administration have recognized 10 innovative highway safety projects and program across the U.S. with National Roadway Safety Awards. The awards honor programs that aim to reduce highway fatalities and injuries through “innovation in operations, planning, and design improvements.” The award winners are evaluated on effectiveness, innovation […]

November 16, 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

Bertha delayed again; won’t restart drilling until late December

The Seattle Tunnel Partners have once again delayed the restart of drilling for the State Route 99 tunnel, with Bertha not expected to start work again until Dec. 23. The Washington State Department of Transportation announced the revised schedule Thursday and said the tunnel most likely would not open until April 2018. That puts the project two years and four […]

October 26, 2015

Roadbuilding

Washington, Oregon DOTs team up on electronic signs to display travel times between the two states

New traffic signs have gone up in Oregon and Washington to alert drivers to travel times to popular locations between the two states. The Washington State Department of Transportation said in a press release the joint effort between WSDOT and the Oregon Department of Transportation placed three signs in Oregon and four in Washington earlier […]

October 26, 2015

Roadbuilding

Stronger Big Bertha cutter head lowered back into its pit for tunneling

Big Bertha’s massive cutter head is back underground after months of repairs were made to get the world’s largest tunnel-boring machine back to work. According to the Seattle Times, Big Bertha’s new, stronger front end took the 120-foot dive into the pit Tuesday as Dutch lifting company Mammoet lowered the 2,000-ton machine back down. In […]

August 27, 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

Big Bertha is set to start drilling again in November after extensive repairs, testing

The world’s largest tunnel-boring machine is now scheduled to get back to work on November 23, nearly two years after it overheated and stalled while digging beneath Seattle. The Seattle Times reported that the construction team handling the massive undertaking of drilling the 1.8-mile Highway 99 tunnel released the new timetable and a new completion date of […]

July 21, 2015

Roadbuilding

Crews begin installation of Big Bertha’s new seal system

While the rest of her massive frame waits below ground, Big Bertha has undergone the most pivotal portion of her badly-needed brain surgery. According to a report from the Puget Sound Business Journal, repair crews with Seattle Tunnel Partners, the lead contractor on the drilling of a new State Route 99 tunnel beneath Seattle, have begun […]

June 16, 2015

Roadbuilding

Top FHWA official says unfinished Spokane project proves need for long-term highway bill

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s acting administrator toured the incomplete North Spokane Corridor last week and said the half-built project shows why the federal government needs to act on long-term transportation funding. After touring the NSC, Gergory Nadeau said the project “exemplifies exactly what has been happening all over the country.” About half of the […]

May 28, 2015

Roadbuilding

Damage to Big Bertha worse than previously thought

Now that crews are well into the process of dismantling her front-end for necessary repairs, it’s clear that damage to Big Bertha, the world’s largest tunnel-boring machine, is worse than previously thought. Making matters worse, the tunneler likely won’t resume its work drilling the State Route 99 tunnel beneath Seattle by August as the project’s […]

May 26, 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

Washington state will have $1.8 billion backlog of pavement preservation projects by 2025, report finds

In its recent report on Washington’s transportation challenges, The Road Improvement Program says the state needs $2.8 billion for pavement preservation from now until 2025, but that only $1 billion will be available. As a result, the condition of state-maintained roads would decline drastically.   “Making needed improvements to Washington’s transportation system could provide a significant boost to […]

April 24, 2015