Showing posts with label wsdot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wsdot. Show all posts

Traffic to stop several times overnight on I-5 in north Seattle, March 20-24

Friday, March 17, 2017

Attention late-night commuters: Anyone who uses I-5 through Seattle needs to be prepared to see some delays overnight next week while WSDOT helps Seattle City Light with some important work.

Starting Monday, March 20 through Friday, March 24, traffic going both directions of I-5 will slow to a stop up to five times between State Route 520 and Northeast Northgate Way, from 11:59pm until 4am the next morning.

Traffic may be stopped for up to 25 minutes during these hours.

The northbound I-5 off-ramp to Ravenna Boulevard / Northeast 65th Street and the Northeast 50th Street on-ramp to northbound I-5 will also close from 11:59pm Monday to 4am Tuesday.

This is all so Seattle City Light crews can pull power lines over I-5 at Northeast 60th Street to help enhance the reliability of their electrical system.

If you want to find out more about what’s going on, check out the project page and the Seattle City Light Twitter page.



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Resources for winter pass information

Friday, December 2, 2016

SR 542 Mount Baker Highway
Photo courtesy WSDOT


WSDOT has a lot of resources to help you get to the ski resorts and over the passes safely. This information is from Andrea Petrich of WSDOT.

Chinook and Cayuse Passes, by Mt. Rainier National Park, are now closed for the season. Stevens Pass Ski Resort is open, so expect extra traffic along US 2 as skiers and snowboarders head up to get some turns in. These closures and ski resort openings mean that the snow is here!

I-90 was closed for hours November 30 due to crashes and spinouts. Many of those were because drivers were driving too fast for conditions and/or didn’t have the proper traction on their tires.

Here’s a blog with details, photos and more info about how you can help prevent the passes from closing this winter.

Headed across any mountain passes this season? Here are resources to help you: #KnowBeforeYouGo.
  • Check our Winter Weather Page for traction tire info, mountain pass reports and other travel alerts.
  • Follow @WSDOT_North, @WSDOT_Traffic, @WSDOT_East and @WSDOT_SnoqualmiePass for up-to-the-minute information about your Cascade mountain routes.
  • If you’re headed over I-90 you can sign up to get text alerts about any closures or major changes in conditions. Pull down the subscription type and choose SMS/Text Message.
  • If you don’t tweet or don’t want to get WSDOT texts – our WSDOT app is a great option and includes Ferry schedules and Canadian border wait information.

The photo of SR 542 Mount Baker Highway and more from this route are on WSDOT Flickr Page, which will be updated during this winter.



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North Cascades Highway closed until spring

Monday, November 21, 2016

North Cascades Highway closed for the winder
Avalanche areas in red
Map courtesy WSDOT

If your holiday plans involve going over the North Cascades Highway - you can't get there from here.

The North Cascades Highway section of SR 20 is officially closed until next spring.

WSDOT crews have been monitoring the road and nearby avalanche chutes above the highway since Friday, November 18, when they temporarily closed the road. After receiving additional snow this weekend, they determined more avalanche chutes were full and unstable, forcing them to close the road today, November 21.

Questions or comments? Contact Marqise Allen.



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Heavy rains extend closure of Northeast 195th St in Lake Forest Park until Oct 28

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Road in danger of collapse
Photo courtesy WSDOT
An around-the-clock closure of NE 195th St just off State Route 104 (Ballinger Way) in Lake Forest Park has been extended until 10pm Friday, October 28.

The road was scheduled to reopen on Tuesday, October 25, but recent heavy rain has slowed work to replace a collapsed rock retaining wall.


Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation closed a short section of NE 195th St at the intersection with Ballinger Way on Monday, October 10.

A signed detour is available, but drivers should expect some delays and add a few extra minutes to their commute. Pedestrians still have access to and from NE 195th St.



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WSDOT seeking comments on its plan for community engagement

Monday, October 17, 2016


The Washington State Department of Transportation is seeking comments on its updated plan to guide agency engagement with partners, stakeholders, tribes, communities and the public.

The WSDOT Community Engagement Plan guides agency outreach from the earliest stages of project planning through service delivery, maintenance and operations. The plan is designed to help increase consent on decisions, improve understanding and improve public access to information and decision making.

Comments on the plan can be submitted by email to wsdotcep@wsdot.wa.gov or mailed to P.O. Box 47370, Olympia, WA 98504, and will be accepted until Nov. 30. Comments will be incorporated into the final version of the plan, due out in December.

“At WSDOT, inclusive engagement means reaching out to all community members, so that they can choose to have a voice in the process and know their ideas were heard and considered.” said Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar.

WSDOT’s strategic plan, Results WSDOT, directs the agency to strengthen partnerships to increase credibility, drive priorities and inform decision making. This Community Engagement Plan is consistent with Results WSDOT, state expectations and federal requirements.



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Calling all artistic K through 5th graders - see your art on the ferry schedule

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Wet and windy day
Photo by Wayne Pridemore

WSDOT has issued a call to artists in K through 5th grade to enter a design for the cover of the next ferry sailing schedule.

They print new ferry schedules every season and distribute them across the 10 ferry terminals and 22 vessels that make up the largest ferry system in the United States. This is where those artistic kids come in.

They need a great drawing to put on the cover of the 2017 winter sailing schedule that best captures the theme of “Winter on the water.” 

If your drawing is picked, you’ll see it on the cover of our winter schedule in print and online.

Teachers - have your elementary school students enter by Friday, October 14 for their chance to be the winning design.

Art must include a ferry (or elements of one) and be in black and white.

For more on the rules, how to enter and how winners are selected click right here.




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Ship Canal Bridge cleaning to delay opening of I-5 express lanes this weekend, Sept. 17-18

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Drivers who use the Interstate 5 express lanes will need to use the mainline for most of the morning on both Saturday, Sept. 17, and Sunday, Sept. 18.


Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews will delay the opening of the southbound I-5 express lanes for a few hours each day to clean the Ship Canal Bridge.

Closure details
  • Saturday, Sept. 17 - The I-5 express lanes will remain closed until 10:30 a.m. for Ship Canal Bridge cleaning work. The lanes will open southbound by 11 a.m.
  • Sunday, Sept. 18 - The I-5 express lanes will remain closed until 11 a.m. for Ship Canal Bridge cleaning work. The lanes will open southbound by 11:30 a.m.

In the Seattle area, drivers can get real-time traffic information on their phone with the WSDOT traffic app, tracking the WSDOT traffic Twitter feed, and get advanced information from the Seattle Area Construction Page.



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WSDOT Lane Striping Work in LFP Thursday night to Saturday morning

WSDOT maintenance crews are re-striping sections of the SR 104/ Ballinger Way NE and SR 522/Bothell Way NE intersection in Lake Forest Park over the next few days.

Work schedule:

Thursday, Sept. 15, to the morning of Friday, Sept. 16 - The right lane and the bus-only lane of eastbound SR 522/ Bothell Way Northeast at SR 104/ Ballinger Way Northeast will be closed from 9pm to 5am.

Friday, Sept. 16, to the morning of Saturday, Sept. 17 - The left lane in both directions of SR 522/ Bothell Way Northeast will be closed from 11:59pm to 7am.

For more information contact WSDOT Northwest Region at 206-440-4473.



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Major road repairs at the intersection of SR 104 and NE 195th St will close 195th for two weeks

Sunday, August 28, 2016

During September 2016, WSDOT (Washington State Department of Transportation) will be doing an emergency repair project on the rock retaining wall that failed on the southeast corner of SR 104 (Ballinger Way) and NE 195th Street. 

If left unrepaired, the exposed dirt face will erode, eventually undermining the sidewalk and the southeast corner of the intersection.

The wall, which is made up of rocks arranged in large wire cages, pulled away from the road embankment leaving an exposed vertical dirt face along NE 195th Street.

The damage was discovered in January of this year.

The rock (gabion) wall pulled away
from the embankment
Photo courtesy WSDOT
The collapse also severed an extension of the culvert that carries Ballinger Creek underneath NE 195th St. 

This project will require a 16 day closure of NE 195th Street so Ballinger Creek can be diverted and piped over the road while crews work in the creek bed to build a new wall.

Construction is tentatively scheduled to occur in September 2016 and be completed by October 2016.

Close up of damage. The wire cages
filled with rocks are known as gabions.
Photo courtesy WSDOT
Why is it called a gabion?
A gabion is a cage or box filled with rocks, concrete or sand that's frequently used in road building.

A gabion rock wall is a retaining wall made of these stone-filled cages that are stacked and tied together.

Nearby residents may hear construction noise, particularly during the day.

When the project is complete, there will be a new retaining wall that prevents additional erosion under NE 195th St and, potentially, Ballinger Way.

--WSDOT



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Southbound I-5 lane closures across Ship Canal Bridge this weekend, Aug. 13-14

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Early morning risers who use southbound I-5 near the UW should plan ahead for possible delays from 2 to 10am Saturday and Sunday, August 13 and 14.

WSDOT maintenance crews will close two lanes of southbound I-5 from NE 45th St to E Roanoke St to removed damaged areas of pavement on the Ship Canal Bridge deck and then fill them with new concrete.



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Kiddie pools – not just for kids

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Kiddie pools used to protect the river from
accidental fuel leaks from generators and pumps
Photo courtesy WSDOT

From WSDOT

Every summer, the kiddie pools come out.

But here at WSDOT - they don't have a season!

We use them year-round on WSDOT projects because we don’t want to risk fuel spilling from a generator or pump into the ground or water.

At some point, someone came up with great idea of placing generators and pumps in kiddie pools. They’re just the right size and they’ll contain leaks.

It’s an inexpensive way to prevent a bigger problem.

In the photo, the kiddie pools are being used to protect the Pilchuck River west of Granite Falls while water is pumped from the right side of the rubber dam to the other. The water is being drained so crews can stabilize the eroding riverbank before it undermines SR 92.

You can see more pictures of the riverbank stabilization project on our Flickr page.



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Heads up for Edmonds - Kingston travelers Aug 1-5

Friday, July 29, 2016

Kitsap county SR 104 near Kingston

From WSDOT

Ferry travelers and anyone who commutes along the Kingston/Edmonds SR 104 route during the week – this will affect you.

Starting very early Monday morning, August 1, WSDOT contractor crews will start digging a huge hole in SR 104 near Kingston to improve the Grovers Creek fish passage. This project is part of a 2013 federal court injunction to improve fish habitats.

The detour to and from the Kingston Ferry dock adds a little time but is a simple U around Grovers Creek. The closure will end at 11:59pm on Friday, August 5.


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Southbound I-5 to close for maintenance work overnight Friday, July 29

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

From WSDOT

Drivers planning to use southbound Interstate 5 through downtown Seattle overnight Friday, July 29, should prepare for a full closure of the interstate and prepare to exit at the Stewart Street / Denny Way off-ramp. A signed detour will be in place and the I-5 express lanes will be open southbound.

During the closure, Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews will be conducting routine maintenance and testing of the fire suppression system under the Washington State Convention Center.

Closure details

Friday night, July 29, to the morning of Saturday, July 30

  • Drivers must exit southbound I-5 at the Stewart Street/Denny Way off-ramp beginning at 11:59 p.m. until 5 a.m. A signed detour will guide drivers to Stewart Street, 5th Avenue and Spring Street where they can return to I-5.
  • The Mercer Street and Yale Avenue North/Howell Street on-ramps to southbound I-5 will be closed from 11:59 p.m. to 5 a.m. Signed detours will be in place.
  • The I-5 express lanes will be open in the southbound direction starting at 11:30 p.m. Oversized loads should use the express lanes. 

Puget Sound area drivers can get real-time traffic information on their phone with the WSDOT traffic app, by tracking the WSDOT traffic Twitter feed, and get advanced information from the Seattle Area Construction page.



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Northbound I-5 lane closures across Ship Canal Bridge this weekend

Drivers who use northbound Interstate 5 near the University of Washington should plan ahead for possible delays from 2 to 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 30 and 31.

Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews will close two lanes of northbound I-5 on the Ship Canal Bridge to remove damaged areas of pavement on the bridge deck and then fill them with new concrete.


Crews are scheduled to work on the southbound lanes of I-5 across the Ship Canal Bridge on the weekend of Aug. 13-14.

Puget Sound area drivers can get real-time traffic information on their phone with the WSDOT traffic app, by tracking the WSDOT traffic Twitter feed, and get advanced information from the Seattle Area Construction page.



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WSDOT: Making Good To Go! work better for customers

Saturday, July 23, 2016

From WSDOT

A year ago, Good To Go! introduced a new customer service policy offering first-time forgiveness of late fees and civil penalties on unpaid toll bills.

Everyone can now call Good To Go! to request a one-time waiver of all unpaid late fees and penalties as long as they agree to pay the original tolls.

In the past year, over 75,000 vehicle owners have had their civil penalties and fees waived and we’ve dismissed over $25 million in civil penalties and late fees.

Of course, for most customers this never comes up – only about 2 percent of trips result in a civil penalty. Learn more about all the ways to lower your toll bill.



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Saving money and helping the bees

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Photo courtesy WSDOT

WSDOT says you might be noticing some difference along state highways this season.

WSDOT planting guidelines and some new mowing policies are helping provide a better habitat for pollinators, like our bees.

We are mowing less (still in some areas for safety and to guarantee sight-lines) which is giving bees, butterflies and others extra plans for pollinators.

Cutting back on mowing saves WSDOT around $550,000 each year. You can read more about the specifics in WSDOT's National Pollinator Week blog.



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President Obama headed to the area Friday and Saturday

Thursday, June 23, 2016

WSDOT says that you may want to factor in some extra travel time if you’ll be hitting the roads this weekend.


President Obama is scheduled to be in the Puget Sound area Friday afternoon, June 24, through Saturday, June 25.

As with all visits by heads of state, drivers can expect significant delays and closures on state highways and surrounding streets. The Secret Service doesn’t release information about travel plans much ahead of time so your best bet is to stay connected with local media and follow @wsdot_traffic on Twitter.

We’re limited in the amount of information we can put out but we’ll do the best we can to let drivers know what is closed and where to avoid.



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Plan ahead now for smoother Memorial Day travel

Friday, May 20, 2016

The 520 bridge will be on holiday rates on Memorial Day
Photo courtesy WSDOT

‘Know before you go’ the key to negotiating holiday traffic: tips from WSDOT

With Memorial Day fast approaching, now is the time to start planning ahead to avoid spending the holiday weekend stuck in traffic.

Drivers can use the Washington State Department of Transportation’s traffic volume charts to help time their travel on key routes throughout the weekend.

Drivers also can:
  • Check out WSDOT’s mobile app, social media sites – such as Twitter and Facebook – and online tools for traffic information and ferry schedules to “know before you go.”
  • Pre-program your vehicle radio to 530 AM and 1610 AM for highway advisory radio alerts.
  • Allow extra time for holiday travel and congestion; consider traveling during non-peak hours; stay alert to avoid collisions in congested areas.
To ease congestion, most state highway construction work is suspended during the holiday weekend. Across the Vantage Bridge on Interstate 90, though, eastbound drivers will experience delays due to a round-the-clock single-lane closure. In addition, loads over 14 feet wide are prohibited in both directions.

On Memorial Day, Monday, May 30:
Washington State Ferries passengers should expect heavier traffic during the holiday weekend and reservations are strongly recommended for the Anacortes/San Juan Islands, Anacortes/Sidney, British Columbia and Port Townsend/Coupeville ferry routes.
Travelers planning to avoid highway congestion by traveling by train, personal aircraft or bus also should factor the holiday into their plans:
  • Amtrak Cascades passengers are encouraged to purchase tickets early and should plan to arrive at the station one hour before departure. Book now or call 800–USA–RAIL for details.
  • WSDOT provides updates on state-operated airports online, or 800-552-0666.
  • Most public transit systems will follow a holiday schedule, and some transit systems will not operate fixed-route or Dial-A-Ride service on holidays.


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Seattle traffic challenges this weekend

Thursday, May 12, 2016

From WSDOT

Southbound SR 99 Aurora Bridge lane closures Saturday morning, May 14

Commuters planning a morning trip into downtown Seattle across the Aurora Bridge on Saturday, May 14, should leave early or risk being late to their destinations. Our maintenance crews will close two right lanes of southbound SR 99/Aurora Avenue North across the Aurora Bridge from 5am to noon to remove scaffolding. One lane will remain open to traffic.

Montlake Bridge to close for Beat the Bridge Sunday morning, May 15

If your Sunday morning plans take you to Seattle’s Montlake neighborhood, be prepared for possible delays! Montlake Boulevard East/ State Route 513 across the Montlake Bridge will close to vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians from 7:30 to 10am Sunday, May 15, for the annual Beat the Bridge event. The westbound SR 520 off-ramp to Montlake Boulevard East/ SR 513 and the left-turn lane of the eastbound SR 520 off-ramp to Montlake Boulevard East/ SR 513 will also be closed. Signed detours will be in place.




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Express lanes on I-5 will stay open until midnight

Friday, April 29, 2016

According to WSDOT, until further notice The I-5 express lanes will remain open northbound until 11:59pm nightly due to the Alaskan Way Viaduct/ SR 99 closure.

The lanes will open southbound on schedule at 5am weekdays and 8am on the weekend.

In other transportation news,

  • The right lane of northbound SR 99 at the Aurora Bridge will be closed from 6:30am to 2pm daily for construction work Thursday, May 5, to Friday, May 6
  • The right lane of northbound SR 99 at the Aurora Bridge will be closed from 7:30am to 5pm for construction work Saturday, May 7


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