Bridge project gets immediate attention, others move slower
Published 9:34 am Thursday, December 11, 2008
By Kevin Hanson-The Courier-Herald
The state’s Department of Transportation has, at any given time, a laundry list of projects - some small and some massive - in the various stages of development.
Some projects are on the planning table for years, while others crop up and demand immediate attention.
The following is a look at a few Plateau projects and where they stand.
Kummer Bridge
The project receiving immediate attention from the DOT involves steps to increase stability of the hillside directly beneath the Kummer Bridge.
The bridge, built in 1932 over the Green River and connecting Enumclaw and Black Diamond, is the site of ongoing work - emergency work.
The state has been monitoring the slope under the southeast corner of the bridge since 1995 and, in early summer, noticed significance sloughing of the hillside. Interim repair work was quickly initiated and wrapped up just prior to the Fourth of July holiday traffic.
Work picked up again Aug. 25 and will continue until mid-September. One lane of the bridge is open during daylight hours and both lanes are open overnight. Approximately 9,000 cross over the bridge daily, according to DOT counts.
During this Phase I work, about 90 specialized soil nails will be driven into the hillside. The slope will then be covered with metal screening and a spray-on concrete will cover the area. About two acres of hillside will be treated.
In Phase II, scheduled to begin later this month and be wrapped up by November’s heavy rainfall, drainage pipes will be drilled into the slope under the bridge to remove the excess groundwater that is causing the land to erode. The water will be diverted into the Green River below.
The cost of the project is estimated at $2 million. The DOT has received federal highway funding to pay for the repairs.
Dangerous intersection
Although it appears to casual passersby that nothing has happened during the past 12 months, the DOT notes much has happened behind the scenes when it comes to the widening of state Route 410 and subsequent improvements to the intersection at 234th Avenue East.
As traffic volumes have grown on 410 during the past decade, the state has acknowledged the existing two highway lanes are insufficient. Also, the busy 234th intersection has seen more than its share of traffic accidents; the close proximity of an elementary school and fire station make upgrades even more urgent.
Money has been allocated for the project that stretches between 234th and 214th on occasion, only to be pulled from the state budget. Now, the money has been assured.
Things don’t happen as quickly as the public would like, and the state has spent the past couple of years doing engineering work, addressing environmental concerns, relocating utilities and working on property acquisition.
Motorists may not get excited until construction begins. According to the state DOT Web site, that will be in November of 2009.
The project represents a total investment of more than $29 million. The state is paying all but about $800,000 of the total, with a handful of private parties paying a variety of assessments. Familiar names on that list are Home Depot, $184,000 and Bonney Lake Marketplace Developers, $167,000; smaller payments are being made by Harborstone Credit Union, $16,600, and Mazatlan Restaurant, almost $21,000.
Taking a new direction
A project on the DOT schedule with the most intriguing history deals with planned improvements to the intersection of state Route 169 and Southeast 416th Street.
It was in 2005 that the state Legislature allocated money for the intersection just north of Enumclaw, citing too many accidents. DOT engineers determined a roundabout would be a nice fit for the intersection and began planning for such a development.
When area residents learned of the state plan, the reaction was swift and largely in opposition. Buckling to public pressure, the DOT changed its course of action.
The state isn’t hiding the controversy surrounding the original plan. A chart on the DOT Web site shows that 80 people opposed the roundabout idea and 16 were in support. Of the 80, 45 favored the addition of turn lanes on 169 to keep traffic moving freely.
Now, state plans reflect that desire and call for turn lanes that will allow north-south traffic to move unimpeded; drivers will not be slowed by others attempting to make turns onto 416th.
According to the DOT Web site, engineers have started preliminary design work. It is estimated that a project contractor will not be selected until the fall of next year.
Water, water everywhere
Another project on the books for several years is the upgrading of SR 410 between the community of Greenwater and the entrance to Mount Rainier National Park.
The problem is the highway’s proximity to the White River, combined with the river’s history of rising above its banks. In November 2006, river waters flooded the road and closed off access to Crystal Mountain Boulevard and the national park.
In 2005, the state wrapped up a study that identified which stretches of 410 are most at risk from river flooding. Throughout 2006 and 2007, the DOT and National Park Service determined a plan of action for saving the highway.
Most important, in 2005, the state allocated $17 million from the gas tax to preserve the road.
Plans call for a section of 410 to be elevated from its present configuration. That’s tricky business because it will change the natural course of the river; engineers need to assure there’s no damage to fish habitat.
