Here in Washington State, we are first in renewable energy, out of all the states. But we are faced with the unpleasant and yet unsurprising news that, with 83,505 public road miles, 67 percent of those roads are in poor or mediocre condition. Almost five percent of our bridges are rated structurally deficient. Continue reading 2/3 of State Roads in Washington are Rated “Poor” or “Mediocre”
These days Washington’s Department of Transportation is looking for every dollar that isn’t nailed down, and was aided slightly by a law (SB 5251), passed by the Legislature in spring of 2012, that asks electric-car owners to kick in. As of 2013, there will be an extra $100 annual fee due for road and highway improvements. Continue reading Washington’s Electric Car Drivers to Get Hit With No-Gas Tax
Alaska’s reassurances would be more effective if they weren’t being made the same morning as another Alaska plane, a Boeing 737, was diverted to San Jose for an emergency landing after the cabin depressurized. Flight 539 will stay in San Jose for inspection, which seems like a good idea, since the plane also experienced electrical and flight control problems. Continue reading Alaska Airlines Knew About Wing Thingie, Totally Did Not Expect Depressurization Whozit
As the magnitude of the problem has increased, the city’s response has grown more anemic. Using potholes an indicator species for overall road health, it’s troubling to note that in 2009 Seattle’s Department of Transportation filled 6,500 potholes; in 2010, 10,100 potholes; in 2011, over 25,000. Continue reading Seattle Tries Out New “Pothole City” Moniker
Claims against the city for pothole damages totaled more than $88,000 in 2010-11, with 443 claims filed. That’s a “a 270% increase in the number of pothole claims submitted to the city and a 241% increase in the amount of money paid on those claims,” says the Weekly, compared to a four-year average of the preceding years.
But before your blood pressure spikes, keep in mind that last winter was a doozy. Continue reading Seattle Doesn’t Have a Pothole Problem–It Has a Repaving Problem
