Week of Mar. 2, 2009

2009 county road construction kicks off with May Valley bridge rebuild

A project to replace an aging bridge in southeast King County will kick off the 2009 construction season for the King County Road Services Division.

“Once again, our focus is on maintaining our existing transportation network in unincorporated King County,” said Division Director Linda Dougherty. “With almost no new money for county road expansion, we must do all we can to preserve the roads and bridges that we rely on to move people and goods throughout the county and the region.”

The 2009 construction agenda for the division includes some intersection and road improvements, several rehabilitation projects, countywide repaving, and a significant amount of road repairs related to damage from winter storms in December and January.

The first large-scale improvement on the construction calendar is a nine-month project to replace the Bandaret Bridge on Southeast May Valley Road south of Issaquah. The 58-year-old timber bridge is being replaced because it is deteriorating, does not meet current seismic safety standards, and is too narrow to accommodate modern-day traffic volumes. Approximately 5,100 vehicles a day cross this bridge.

The existing bridge spans upper Issaquah Creek on May Valley Road between 230th Avenue Southeast and 231st Place Southeast. Construction, which should start around March 16, will be completed in stages to avoid a full closure of the road but traffic will be restricted to one lane on May Valley Road in this location through November.

The division does have one project set for 2009 that will add capacity to a corridor east of Redmond. It is currently completing design and right-of-way acquisition to begin construction later this year of the Novelty Hill Road Phase 1, which will bring improvements to both Novelty Hill Road and 196th Avenue Northeast. Dougherty says this project is the last of the large-scale capacity adding projects that the county is able to afford since losing the $15 Local Option Vehicle License as a source of revenue several years ago.

Another project is in the pipeline is the replacement of the South Park Bridge on the border between Seattle and Tukwila. Dougherty says the division is completing design on the project and plans to apply this year for a federal stimulus funding through a nationally competitive process for large regional projects. If the federal money is secured, construction of the replacement bridge could begin in 2010.

Other 2009 projects include:

• Improvements on the Woodinville-Duvall Road at Mink Road and Northeast 212th Avenue to improve traffic movement and safety for turning vehicles;

• Two projects to rebuild deteriorated portions of the Middle Fork Road near North Bend;

• Approximately $7 million for the overlay program to repave dozens of miles of county roads this summer;

• Replacement of the Sunday Creek Bridge located 17 miles northeast of North Bend, which has been closed for several months due to unsafe conditions;

• Rebuilding up to three short-span bridges as part of an ongoing countywide program;

• Several projects to add sidewalks, pedestrian pathways or bicycle lanes, including along Issaquah-Fall City Road near Klahanie, Southwest 98th Street in White Center, South 128th Street in Skyway, and Military Road in the North Highline area;

• Three road drainage improvement projects to reduce local flooding and provide better fish passage systems near Woodinville and Duvall;

• Partnering with King County Metro Transit and the City of Seattle to complete new street access to the Northgate Transit Center;

• $10-12 million in storm-related repairs that includes repairs of washout and slide damage, plus work to restripe lane markers, clean up debris, and fix potholes;

• Three Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) projects to reduce congestion on busy corridors in Juanita, Kent/Auburn, and east of Redmond;

• And, various projects to increase traffic safety and improve street accessibility for people with disabilities.

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