From WSDOT: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/News/2010/04/11_SR520TollingPublicEducationCampaign.htm Press release from WSDOT about the electronic tolling about to go in place on the SR 520 floating bridge. More: SR 520 Tolling (WSDOT) Ben
From WSDOT: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/05/12/1183145/state-plans-rail-bypass-traffic.html The state will now perform a detailed traffic study of this extension which will delay the project another two years. While we all want to do the right thing, this is a bad idea. This project has been planned and studied for years. It has already been delayed several times. We know [...]
Information on the SR 520 Floating Bridge Pontoon Testing: Pontoon Testing (WSDOT) Project Library (WSDOT) Ben
From Sound Transit: http://www.soundtransit.org/News-and-Events/News-Releases/Light-rail-service-delays.xml This project installs switch heaters along the line. This is an excellent idea since problems with switches freezing in inclement weather has stopped traffic on Portland’s MAX system and the Sounder heavy rail line. Ben
http://wsdotblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/welcome-to-our-fallout-shelter-under-i.html http://www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot/sets/72157623993636566/ Turns out there is an old Cold War fallout shelter underneath Interstate 5 in Seattle. The blog post and photos above document this historic location. Ben
From KOMO-TV: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/92894774.html “…he would veto any city council resolution approving an agreement with the state on the Alaskan Way Viaduct unless the agreement includes the state taking responsibility for cost overruns” While I understand his concern for his city, the Alaskan Way Viaduct mainly supports Seattle and has been an often delayed project. An [...]
A collection of links with information about the upcoming Alaskan Way Viaduct bored tunnel project. All from WSDOT: Bored Tunnel Safety Big Dig Comparison Bored Tunnel / Waterfront Tunnel Comparison Other Tunnel Projects Very interesting as this information debunks some of the issues and concerns regarding the bored tunnel replacement of the Alaskan Way / [...]
From The News Tribune: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/05/02/1171777/toll-lane-experiment-on-167-not.html Numbers of drivers are about half of what was expected. Revenue has not covered operations. However, traffic speeds have increased for all drivers. A couple things should be kept in mind when evaulating this project. First, the tolls aren’t exactly meant to generate money, they are there to limit use. [...]
From KOMO-TV: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/92625059.html This project will build automated gates that will close the Alaskan Way Viaduct within two minutes of an earthquake. It manually takes two hours or more. While many decry this project since a large quake could collapse the viaduct in seconds, and the viaduct is slated for removal, the removal date is [...]