|
Week of June 26, 2006
County begins construction of new Tolt Bridge
 Preliminary clearing and grading begins this week on King County’s biggest road project of the year – the construction of a new Tolt Bridge. Actual construction activities will start after the Fourth of July holiday.
The new $27.5 million bridge will span the Snoqualmie River just west of Carnation and approximately 165 feet upstream from the current historic bridge on Northeast Tolt Hill Road. The new bridge will be wider, safer for motorists and pedestrians, plus is designed to reduce river flooding in that location.
This is the largest construction project for the King County Road Services Division since the completion of the new Elliott Bridge in 2005. Construction of the new Tolt Bridge is expected to last for up to two years. The Roads Division is staging the construction to avoid fish-spawning seasons and to minimize traffic disruptions for local residents.
One of the goals is to keep Northeast Tolt Hill Road open to traffic as much as possible throughout construction. Motorists can expect a two-week closure from July 5-19 this summer, and then another in the spring of 2008. In addition access to the boat launch near the bridge will be closed from July 12 to August 9. There could also be occasional short closures for maintenance work on the old bridge, but otherwise the road should remain open throughout the majority of the construction period.
 The first activity at the project site will be removal of brush and some trees this week on the west side of the bridge near the intersection of Northeast Tolt Hill Road and West Snoqualmie River Road Northeast. This will set the stage for realignment of that intersection and construction of a temporary trestle that will allow construction equipment to get close to the river without damaging the sensitive areas.
All that set-up must be completed by Sept. 15 of this year to meet the state’s window for work in and around salmon-bearing waterways.
“We want construction to keep moving throughout the two-year length of the project, which will be challenging because of all the environmental considerations,” said Managing Engineer Rose LeSmith. “We have a lot of fish windows to work around on this project.”
 Early next month, the contractor will be placing a huge order for the steel that will go into the new bridge. The order is so large that project managers estimate it will take nine months to fabricate and then deliver to the site.
The county has been working to replace the Tolt Bridge for many years. Extra time was needed to gather funding for the costly project, negotiate agreements with numerous agencies on environmental issues, and to address residents’ concerns about the design of a bridge that would replace a community landmark.
The existing bridge is more than 80 years old and needs frequent maintenance, often requiring traffic closures. It has limited sight distance, a narrow roadway, and restricted weight limits. It also does not meet current seismic, safety, or roadway design standards. In addition to constructing a modern bridge, this project will widen and realign Northeast Tolt Hill Road both east and west of the new bridge to increase sight distance and safety.
The plans call for a 970-foot-long bridge made up of two 300-foot-long trusses over the west side of the river and the river itself, and a concrete girder section on the east side. The twin trusses will echo the historic look of the existing bridge. The new bridge will have a cast-in-place, 40-foot-wide concrete deck supported by six double-column concrete piers.
Because of its proximity to the Snoqualmie River and three of its tributaries, the project includes significant environmental mitigation work. The bridge supports will be placed outside the stream channel to reduce flooding and avoid harming fish habitat along the river. The county will plant trees and shrubs to reduce the project's impact on adjoining wetlands and buffers. And, it will also construct a water quality pond and a bioswale to treat stormwater runoff.
An eight-foot-wide shoulder for pedestrians and bicyclists will be added on both sides of Northeast Tolt Hill Road and the bridge. An open-rail type barrier will be built on both sides of the new bridge for safety.
The first in a series of road improvement projects on Northeast Cherry Valley Road east of Duvall should wrap up this week – in time to open the road for the Fourth of July and preceding weekend. Crews from the King County Road Services Division anticipate completing the first culvert replacement by the end of the day on Thursday, June 29. The road will then be open through Wednesday,
July 5. A second, longer closure begins Thursday, July 6 and is scheduled to last through Sept. 1. This project takes more time because it involves installation of four new culverts. It is located from the 28700 block to the 29300 block of Cherry Valley Road. 
All of the work centers on replacing aging undersized culverts underneath Northeast Cherry Valley Road that are showing signs of failure. Some of these clay culverts date back to the 1920s, and serious problems such as road failure could develop if they are not replaced. Total closure of Cherry Valley Road is necessary due to the large size of the new culverts and the amount of heavy equipment moving around the two sites. Crews have been working extra hours each week to get the work completed as quickly as possible, and to meet deadlines set by the state for working near fish habitat. Because there are few cross streets along Cherry Valley Road, the posted detour is lengthy. During the closures motorists can detour via: Carnation-Duvall Road Northeast (State Route 203); Northeast Big Rock Road; and Kelly Road Northeast. |
|
The Fourth of July holiday may be more than a week away, but it’s not too early to be thinking about how to travel to all of the fun holiday events. First, the basics. Buses will run on a regular schedule on Monday, July 3. Then on Tuesday, July 4, Metro and Sound Transit will operate on a Sunday schedule. Sunday Family Fares apply on July 4, and Metro drivers will be selling Day Passes for $2 on that day. All Metro offices will be closed. For those coming to Seattle to view the big fireworks show on the waterfront, the Elliott Bay Water Taxi will operate on a Saturday schedule and the West Seattle land shuttle, Route 773, is on a weekend schedule. The Route 99 Waterfront Streetcar will operate on a Sunday schedule. Metro also has special holiday service for the Mariners games against the Rockies and the Angels, and the horse racing at Emerald Downs on July 1, 2 and 4. There is regular bus service to most other holiday events. Certain trips may be rerouted near some of the community celebrations, and there could be traffic delays. Visit Metro Online for complete information about service and reroutes.
Many cities in the region have passed ordinances prohibiting the parking of commercial vehicles on public right-of-way. As a result, the unincorporated area of King County east of Kent has seen a growing number of semi-tractor/trailer trucks parking on arterial roadways. To increase safety for the users of unincorporated roadways, the King County Road Services Division’s Traffic Engineering group is installing signs that either totally restrict parking, or restrict the parking of commercial vehicles between the hours of midnight to 6 a.m. in specified areas. The signs – which read "Commercial Vehicle Parking Prohibited Midnight to 6 a.m. – already appear to be making a difference, as county residents are noticing fewer commercial trucks parked in and around their neighborhoods.
Metro and the Woodland Park Zoo are offering free, post-event shuttle service for the upcoming “Zoo Tunes” summer concert series. The popular concerts begin Wednesday, June 28. They are offered almost every Wednesday evening throughout July and August. Gates open at 5 p.m. and concerts begin at 6 p.m. All concerts end by 8:30 p.m. Use regular Metro service to arrive at the zoo. Then after the concert, hop on one of the special shuttles near the zoo’s west entrance and ride back to the Northgate Transit Center (Bay 2). The shuttles operate only after the Wednesday concert dates. Visit Metro Online for details about the concert shuttles. |
Subscribe to DOT Dash
Sign-up to receive an e-mail text version of "Transportation Today," along with other significant DOT news by sending an e-mail to us with subscribe King County DOT Dash in the subject line.
|
