A conversation with Seattle
Historic Pier Walk: The big kahuna in the waterfront’s evolution. Expect a sprawling promenade extending from Pioneer Square Beach to Pier 63, filled with all Alaskan Way historic and commercial stalwarts. Continue reading Welcome to Your New Central Waterfront, Seattle
In these illustrations, the stitch to fix the scar is about as wide as the waterfront itself, and wider at parts. Tourists will share those remarkably spacious lanes with freight traffic delivering goods to the city. Continue reading A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Waterfront
SR 520 was closed from 11 p.m. Friday night until 5 a.m. Monday morning, and one of the projects WSDOT worked into the bridge inspection was the installation of an 11-foot-diameter culvert beneath all lanes of SR 520 just west of I-405. Continue reading What May Be the Coolest Video of a Culvert Installation Ever
Peterson climbs aboard WSDOT with two megaprojects already in progress that threaten not simply Hammond’s reputation as on on-time, on-budget steward, but the state’s fiscal health. The Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement project and SR 520 Bridge Replacement project amount to more than $7.2 billion in the latest iteration of their ever-changing budgets. Continue reading New WSDOT Chief Boards Runaway Trains of Viaduct & 520 Projects
For most of 2012, WSDOT was watchdogged by KOMO News because of cracks found in new pontoons for the new 520 bridge. Now the Seattle Times reports that Bertha, the 7,000-ton tunnel boring machine, purpose-built for digging the SR 99 tunnel beneath Seattle, sustained damage during its initial testing in Japan. Continue reading Both of WSDOT’s Seattle Megaprojects Off to a Bumpy Start
Back of the envelope calculations would seem to show that toll revenue has exceeded expectations by more than that $3 million, certainly, but WSDOT says “right on target.” If you take them at their word, this would indicate that the tolls in themselves, despite the increase in price and late-payment windfall, are lagging. Continue reading How 520’s Toll Revenue Differs from WSDOT’s 2011 Projections
WSDOT says, for instance: “WSDOT’s SR 520 construction contracts include multiple requirements for Quality Assurance (QA) managers and other Quality Assurance staff.” That sounds reassuring, but when you read their documentation, you discover that construction firm Kiewit, the “Design-Builder,” is responsible for all “QA and QC for design.” Continue reading New 520 Floating Bridge’s Pontoons are “Disaster,” Inspector Tells KOMO