WSDOT Launches 'Biggest Construction Season In History'
POSTED: 1:31 pm PDT March 26,
2007
UPDATED: 1:37 pm PDT March 26,
2007
Washington State Department of Transportation officials on Monday kicked off the agency's "biggest construction season in history," with nearly 400 projects under way this year in the greater Puget Sound Region.Find what projects are coming to your area on wsdot.govTransportation Secretary Doug MacDonald told reporters at a news conference in Seattle that work crews will be "everywhere" during the summer construction season -- "in the suburbs, downtown, on mountain passes and at all three US/Canada border crossings."Projects this year include the replacement of expansion joints on Interstate 5 between Spokane and Interstate 90 in Seattle.On the Eastside, crews will add lanes to I-405 in Kirkland, South Bellevue and Renton, build a flyover ramp from westbound SR 202 to westbound SR 520, and lay down quieter pavement on SR 520.In the South Sound, crews will add HOV lanes on I-5 through downtown Tacoma, complete the HOV lanes between Federal Way and the Pierce County line and open the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge.In Snohomish County, crews will build two park-and-ride connection and transit stations, add lanes to SR 9 near Bothell, continue to widen I-5 through Everett, and perform critical rehabilitation work on the Hewitt Avenue Trestle.In the Cascade passes, crews will repave four miles of I-90 and six I-90 interchanges just east of Snoqualmie Pass, repave eight miles of US 2 just west of Stevens Pass, work with the National Park Service to repair SR 410 near Mt. Rainier, and stabilize slopes on US 12 east of White Pass.At the US-Canada border, crews will improve access to the new customs facilities at the Peace Arch crossing, build an additional truck lane at the truck crossing in Blaine, and build new lanes on the Guide Meridian, north of Bellingham.In addition, WSDOT traffic engineers will analyze the operation of the express lanes, verify signal timing on dozens of key arterials, quantify the effectiveness of ramp metering and add traffic cameras to SR 9, officials said.
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