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Week of July 3, 2006
King County’s road and bridge network spans three centuries
 Just like keeping a vintage automobile in running condition or preserving a classic historic building, King County knows “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” when it comes to keeping the roads and bridges in the unincorporated areas in good working order.
The inventory of roads and bridges maintained by the King County Road Services Division spans three centuries, and it takes constant Photo: Road Crewmaintenance to keep the transportation network in the unincorporated areas functional and efficient.
King County Road No. 1 – today’s Military Road – was established in 1854, and the last built-from-scratch county road was completed in 2003 when King County and Issaquah opened Highlands Drive north of Interstate 90. The county’s first bridge was built in 1867 and the newest one – the Tolt Bridge replacement – will begin construction this week.
Some of these roads and bridges may be decades old, but they are important links in the region’s transportation network. That is why preventative maintenance is a top priority for the Roads Division.
“We have to preserve the existing the system because we can’t afford to lose any of its usefulness,” says Road Services Division Director Linda Dougherty. “We rely too much on our bridges and roads – both old and new – to neglect any of them.”
In recent years, the King County Road Services Division has talked a lot about preserving its aging infrastructure. But, just how old is this infrastructure?
Some bridges near Redmond and Kent date back to 1913 and 1914. The old culverts the county is currently replacing on Photo: old culvertNortheast Cherry Valley Road are from the 1920s, made of clay, and are only 18 inches in diameter. Three years ago, Roads crews dug up Southeast 248th Street in Maple Valley when the road began to crack and sink near Rock Creek. They found a deteriorating wooden culvert under the surface that was more than 100 years old.
 One of the best examples of historic infrastructure is east of Redmond, where the oldest bridges in King County are located on one of the oldest roads. Two 93-year-old bridges spanning Evans Creek are on the 105-year-old Red Brick Road (196th Avenue Northeast), which still has a surface of original and historic replacement bricks.
When both the old and new infrastructure is inventoried, the average age of a bridge in unincorporated King County is 48 years; and the average age of the surface pavement is 17.3 years. While the Roads Division would like to lower those averages, staff are confident that the county’s transportation network is safe and reliable for the traveling public.
“Some of these roads and bridges are quite old, but still function very efficiently,” said Dougherty. “It is a testament to how well-maintained our county roads and bridges are. Photo: Red Brick RoadBut, it also creates a never-ending backlog of maintenance and preservation work.”
A recent survey of pavement conditions of unincorporated roads shows that 79 percent of the arterial and local-access roads are in good-to-excellent condition. Only 10 percent fall into the poor-to-substandard range.
The most recent annual bridge report shows that the “sufficiency rating” – a numeric calculation that rates the bridge’s safety and serviceability – has stayed consistent for the past several years. Different repair programs, including seismic strengthening and rehabilitation, ensure that the useful life of the current bridge inventory is maximized. However, in some cases – such as the 84-year old Tolt Bridge and the heavily traveled 75-year-old South Park Bridge – the spans are reaching a point where they will soon be beyond repair and must be replaced.
Because transportation funding has dwindled over the past decade, the Roads Division places primary importance on preserving infrastructure and supporting traffic and pedestrian safety. Dougherty says preservation has to come ahead of adding capacity to the road system.
“In many of the unincorporated areas, where there is no existing street grid, there are not a lot of alternative routes,” she said. “So the ones that do exist are extremely critical, and are lifeline routes for local residents. By investing in preservation projects, we keep our road system safe and useable.”
Crews from the King County Road Services Division will begin the second phase of improvements on Northeast Cherry Valley Road east of Duvall this week. The roadway will be closed for up to two months starting Thursday, July 6. The closure is located from the 28700 block to the 29300 block of Cherry Valley Road. Like an earlier project, this one also involves replacing failing culverts under the road surface. This project requires more time because there are four old clay culverts to dig up and replace with larger cement box culverts. 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. King County and Fire District 45 are sharing the costs of staffing the Big Rock Road Fire Station with career firefighters during the longer closure to maintain emergency response times in the local neighborhoods.
The Seattle Mariners [external link] are hotter than the weather right now, and are back in town for a lengthy homestand. Let Metro get you to the games against the Angels and Tigers without losing your cool in traffic. Photo: Mariners busFor the July 4th holiday and upcoming weekend games, Metro has special shuttles to and from Safeco Field and more than a dozen park-and-ride lots. The shuttles serve the following park-and-ride lots: Northgate; Northgate Transit Center; South Kirkland; South Bellevue; Eastgate; South Renton; Tukwila; Kent Station Transit Center; Kent/James Street; Kent-Des Moines; Star Lake; Federal Way Transit Center; and Federal Way/South 320th. The shuttle also stops after games only on North Mercer Way on Mercer Island, but passengers should be aware the Mercer Island Park-and-Ride is currently closed for construction. For the weekday games, the shuttles operate post-game only because there are plenty of regular routes serving Safeco in the late afternoon and early evening. The fare for special shuttles is $3 each way. There is also a post-game shuttle with a $1 fare that circulates through downtown Seattle on First and Second avenues. Detailed information for all Mariners service is available on the Metro Online website. Or, call (206) 553-3000 (voice) or (206) 684-1739 (TTY). |
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Metro Transit will be adjusting service for the Fourth of July holiday. 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 $2.50 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 horse racing at Emerald Downs on July 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. |
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