Tag Archives: wsdot

News, Politics, Transportation

SDOT Commends WSDOT on Adding Facts to Tunnel’s Environmental Impact Statement

We haven’t been covering the ongoing joustings regarding the deep-bore tunnel much as of late, but things are about to heat up again, with the release of the SR 99 – Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement Project’s final environmental impact statement scheduled for July.

To kick things off, PubliCola alerted us to the defiant tenor of Seattle Department of Transportation chief Peter Hahn’s cover letter to the Washington State Department of Transportation, as he signed off on the final EIS. Here’s the meat of his correspondence:

Excerpt from SDOT's cover letter

Hahn’s contention that the EIS has been crafted to “support and defend” a chosen option is a criticism that could, of course, be leveled almost any environmental impact statement. The EIS process is not without its structural shortcomings. But, in the end, it provides as much a jumping off point for lawsuits as a final word.

WSDOT, to clarify, says that the I-5/Surface/Transit option had to be rejected “because it didn’t meet the objective of providing capacity for the future” (where “capacity” seems to be narrowly defined as single occupancy vehicle capacity, given how much easier it is to scale up transit than add extra lanes to an enclosed tunnel). WSDOT’s adherence to this particular objective is also questionable given the fact that per capita, Seattle area traffic volumes have declined six percent since 2005. (See Sightline’s whole “Dude, Where Are My Cars?” series.)

Tortuously, WSDOT continues: “Investments on I-5 were needed to accommodate shifted viaduct traffic, leaving little room for future regional and state growth. In addition, travel times for trips through downtown on Alaskan Way would be 10 to 15 minutes longer.” Adding a lane to I-5 would be counterposed to regional and state growth? A portion of traffic, of course, has shifted to SR 99 from I-5 because of I-5’s bottleneck congestion, so it seems a little arbitrary for WSDOT to cavil about it shifting back.

News, Transportation

Balky Contractors Push Back Against WSDOT’s SR 520 Opening Date

(Photo: MvB)

WSDOT has announced all three design-build contractor teams for the SR 520 project have indicated WSDOT’s aggressive schedule carries enough risk that they’d have to submit higher bids than WSDOT might like. That can’t happen, because this project, like the deep-bore tunnel, has a funding cap.

Presto!

While the goal for replacing the aging State Route 520 floating bridge remains December 2014, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is providing more flexibility to open the new bridge to traffic by July 2015–a move that could reduce risk and make for better bids on the project.

Note that non-armor-plated “could,” which means that WSDOT is also announcing that the six-month delay might not reduce risk or make for better bids. WSDOT is still pushing hard for a December 2014 opening date, and has built in an early-finish incentive package of up to $2.5 million. WSDOT Deputy Transportation Secretary Dave Dye says lower bids are expected make up for the incentives.

WSDOT’s SR 520 project site still displays $2 billion unfunded for the bridge replacement, and thanks to a delay in implementing tolling is foregoing about $1 million per week in anticipated revenue. WSDOT plans to make up for that by extending the life of the tolls.

News, Transportation

SR 99 to Narrow to Two Lanes Each Way at SoDo

2 Comments
Image courtesy WSDOT

On May 16, after a weekend closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, SR 99 will narrow from three lanes to two each way, northbound and southbound, between the West Seattle Bridge and the stadium district. For about a third of the distance northbound, from the bridge to where South Lander would be, there will also be a bus-only lane.

West Seattle Blog commenters smell impending disaster, but since the lane closure is supposed to last until 2013 (“and possibly longer,” adds WSDOT), there will be plenty of time for drivers to explore alternatives. The new speed limit for the section will be 35 mph, instead of 50.

Mike Lindblom reports in the Seattle Times on Metro’s gearing-up for construction-fed ridership, though rush-hour buses have already been filling up in advance of the lane closures:

Last year, King County Metro Transit added 31 trips to its 21 Express, 56 Express and 121 routes serving southwest neighborhoods via the viaduct, and ridership is up 11 percent, said spokeswoman Linda Thielke.

Metro is studying plans for more trips on the 54 and 120 routes this fall, she said. Quicker RapidRide service to West Seattle, Aurora Avenue North and Ballard remains a year or more away.

For its part, WSDOT notes that “$125 million in alternative routes, transit service and traveler information” has been invested to help mitigate the impact of the lane closures. This construction on the southern end of the Viaduct replacement project is not supposed to be contingent upon construction of the central part, which has yet to reach the final stage in the environmental review process.