The SunBreak » wsdot

Welcome to Your New Central Waterfront, Seattle

Rachel Breiwick — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 17:41:55 +0000

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.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Waterfront

Michael van Baker — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 18:18:41 +0000

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.

What May Be the Coolest Video of a Culvert Installation Ever

Michael van Baker — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 22:31:23 +0000

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.

New WSDOT Chief Boards Runaway Trains of Viaduct & 520 Projects

Michael van Baker — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 19:36:06 +0000

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.

Both of WSDOT’s Seattle Megaprojects Off to a Bumpy Start

Michael van Baker — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 18:36:47 +0000

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.

How 520’s Toll Revenue Differs from WSDOT’s 2011 Projections

Michael van Baker — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 18:54:04 +0000

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.