Tag: WSDOT: Page 3

Roadbuilding

Flight through Bertha’s tunnel shows SR 99 construction progress

The drone footage below, from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), takes you on a tour of the SR 99 tunnel that tunnel boring machine Bertha excavated under Seattle. The drone enters the end of the tunnel nearest the Space Needle and travels through the tunnel to the other end near the stadiums. The […]

November 1, 2017

Roadbuilding

10 DOTs win 2016 Perpetual Pavement Award

The Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA) presented 10 departments of transportation with 2016 Perpetual Pavement Awards. The award recognizes state transportation departments and local agencies for asphalt pavements at least 35 years old that have proven, high-quality structural design and are performing well. The pavement must have had a structural failure, should have an average of at least 12 years between […]

April 10, 2017

Roadbuilding

WSDOT building world’s first flexible bridge

The Washington State Department of Transportation is building an offramp from Highway 99 to South Dearborn Street in Seattle that has a flexible column designed to sustain so little damage in an earthquake that that it can be used immediately afterwards. The Seattle Times reports that it will be the first bridge in the world with […]

March 13, 2017

Roadbuilding

WSDOT fabricators make all traffic signs for the agency at cost

A team of seven sign fabricators at the Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) regional headquarters in Union Gap is responsible for creating all the signs for the DOT, as well as signs for other government agencies and some outside entities, Yakima Herald.com reports. Every year, the fabricators create approximately 100,000 square feet of signage at a cost of […]

January 3, 2017

Home

The engineering behind the new earthquake-proof bridge near Seattle’s SR99 tunnel project

The bridge being built near the south entrance of the tunnel for the State Route 99 project under Seattle is designed to be earthquake-proof, King 5 reports. If that project sounds familiar that’s because it’s the tunnel being dug by Bertha, the largest tunnel boring machine in the world and a piece of equipment whose exploits we’ve […]

November 21, 2016

Roadbuilding

Washington State DOT selects Graham Contracting for I-405 project

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has selected Graham Contracting of Bellevue, Washington, as the design-build contractor for the Interstate 405 Northbound Peak-Use Shoulder Lane project. It is the first project funded by I-405 express toll lanes revenue, which has helped speed up the project’s timeline. Originally funded by the state legislature with an […]

November 14, 2016

Roadbuilding

Roger Millar named Washington State DOT director

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed Roger Millar as secretary of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). He had been serving as acting secretary since February and previously held the position of deputy secretary. “Roger has proven to be a well-respected leader with an impressive ability to bring people together and find sensible solutions […]

August 11, 2016

Roadbuilding

Bertha’s repairs push Seattle’s SR99 tunnel $200 million over budget. And it could get worse

Following two years of costly repairs and downtime, Bertha, the world’s largest tunnel boring machine, is $223 million over budget, with Washington state facing a lawsuit from the prime contractor on the State Route 99 tunnel project that, if successful, would double that amount. According to a report from the Seattle Times, the 1.7-mile tunnel, which will replace the […]

July 27, 2016

Roadbuilding

Bertha will soon begin digging below the viaduct its path will replace

The world’s largest tunneling machine will soon begin its dig beneath the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle, its first activity since mid-March. In January tunnel-boring machine Bertha broke through its repair wall following two years of down time only to be brought to a halt once again later that month at the order of Washington Gov. […]

April 27, 2016

Roadbuilding

WSDOT bridge inspectors detail their work to a curious public

Bridge inspectors in Spokane regularly inspect bridges to make sure they are safe for vehicles. And there’s nothing especially surprising about that fact to those within the transportation industry. But it’s a fact those inside the Washington State Department of Transportation reiterated to a public growing more and more worried about the stability of their […]

April 18, 2016

Roadbuilding

Tour the world’s new longest floating bridge in Seattle

After more than a decade of planning and five years of construction, the world’s longest floating bridge is set to open in Seattle, Kiro 7 News reports. The State Route 520 bridge spans Lake Washington, connecting Seattle with cities on the east side of the lake. The new bridge will be nearly twice as wide as the […]

March 31, 2016

Roadbuilding

Man killed after hitting parked WSDOT traffic control truck

A man died in Washington Monday morning after he drove at high speed into the back of a parked Washington Department of Transportation truck. KIRO in Seattle reported that the driver of a Ford Explorer was driving down Interstate 5 in Everett, Wash., and somehow ended up driving on the shoulder before slamming into the back […]

March 2, 2016