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Week of Jan. 7, 2008
Bridges, transit centers highlight 2008 construction plan
The new Tolt Bridge. | Despite another lean transportation budget for 2008, the King County Department of Transportation will be breaking ground, constructing, and finishing off some significant capital projects over the next 12 months.
Preservation and maintenance of the existing roads network continues to be the focus for the King County Road Services Division. There are several road projects scheduled for 2008 that will help improve traffic flow in key corridors and intersections. These include intersection upgrades at Woodinville-Duvall Road and 212th Avenue Northeast; and at Southeast 304th Street at 124th Ave Southeast.
There are also projects scheduled to begin this year that will interconnect signals, add traffic cameras, data stations, and transit improvements for following corridors: Juanita-Woodinville Way near Northeast 160th Street; Avondale Road Northeast near Novelty Hill Road; 100th Avenue Northeast in Juanita; and South 277th Street near Kent.
Mt. Si Bridge under construction. | Some of the biggest 2008 projects for the Roads Division are three new bridges to replace existing spans that have reached the end of their useful life.
A new Tolt Bridge, already under construction, is expected to be completed and open to traffic this summer. The old bridge, spanning the Snoqualmie River for more than 85 years, outlived its useful life and is considered structurally obsolete. The new bridge will have better sightlines and a wide shoulder for pedestrians and bicyclists.
The Mt. Si Bridge has been in service for more than 90 years – first over the White River near Buckley and then relocated to the Snoqualmie River near North Bend in 1955. The new bridge will open this fall with a wider roadway, plus an eight-foot-wide shoulder on the west side and a four-foot shoulder and six-foot sidewalk on the east side.
More diesel hybrids are on the way. | The Roads Division is also scheduled to begin the replacement of the old timber, two-lane Bandaret Bridge south of Issaquah in 2008. Located on the May Valley Road, the bridge over Issaquah Creek is very heavily traveled and a critical transportation link.
For King County Metro Transit, construction efforts center on improving passenger connections and amenities at transit centers, park-and-rides, and bus stops.
The new Redmond Transit Center will open in February, and construction should start on an adjacent park-and-ride garage in the summer. Later this year, Metro will begin work on a new Burien Transit Center and expansion of the Brickyard Park-and-Ride between Bothell and Kirkland.
Work will continue to improve the lighting at park-and-ride lots across King County, as well as upgrading the shelters at dozens of bus stops.
On the operations side, Metro will be taking delivery of 22 new hybrid buses this year, and extending the bus trolley lines to the light rail stations that will begin serving Beacon Hill and the Rainier Valley in 2009.
The King County Road Services Division will be doing maintenance on two local bridges that will result in temporary closures. On Monday, Jan. 14, the Tolt Bridge on the Snoqualmie River west of Carnation will be closed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a routine under-bridge inspection. Motorists can detour via State Route 202 and State Route 203. The South Park Bridge over the Duwamish River will be closed Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 19 and 20, while crews make sidewalk repairs near the center of the bridge. It will be closed from 7 a.m. Saturday to 5 p.m. Sunday. Motorists are advised to use the First Avenue South Bridge as a detour.
King County Metro Transit is looking for community feedback on the Eastside and in West Seattle for its new RapidRide service. This streamlined bus service – with an eye-catching style – will provide frequent trips all day on busy corridors in those two areas. On the Eastside, Metro – in partnership with the cities of Bellevue and Redmond – is planning RapidRide service between the downtown core of the two cities. In West Seattle, the service would connect Fauntleroy and downtown Seattle via the major junctions in West Seattle. Community feedback is needed to help develop both plans. A series of open-house meetings will be held Jan. 15-29 to gather comments. An online questionnaire is also available, or comments can be submitted in writing or on a recorded phone line. All comments are due by Friday, Feb. 1. For more information on the upcoming meetings and how to submit comments, go to Metro Online beginning Jan. 2. |
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Spot auction this Wednesday The next King County Spot Bid auction will take place Wednesday, Jan. 9 and features 50 lots of surplus office equipment. The auction is managed by the Fleet Administration Division and includes both King County surplus and items from other government agencies. Previews are on auction day only, from 10 a.m. until the start of the bidding process at noon. Check out the Spot Bid website to see a few photos of items in this month’s
auction. The auction will take place at Fleet’s warehouse at 707 S. Orcas St., Seattle. For information, photos and driving directions, visit the auction website.
King County International Airport at Boeing Field will celebrate an 80th anniversary this July, and airport employees are seeking your special memories and mementoes to help mark this special occasion. If you have any photos, memorabilia, or would like to share a written memory related to airport’s history, please contact Rita Creighton at 206-296-7431 or by email at rita.Creighton@kingcounty.gov. |
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