Latest Multi-Faceted I-5 Project in Washington State Under Way
By Lori Tobias
Work is under way on yet another project in the Washington Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) ongoing efforts to revitalize Interstate 5 in King and Snohomish counties — a corridor it describes as “a lifeline that people and commerce count on every day.”
The $203 million project is made possible through federal funds from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the 2003 Transportation Partnership Account (TPA) and the 2005 Nickel Program.
The project spans the interstate from Yesler Way to the Northgate area and calls for new con-
crete roadway panels, pavement, expansion joints and deck repaving through downtown Seattle and the Lake Washington Ship Canal Bridge. The design-build contract was awarded to Guy F. Atkinson Construction last summer.
“Right now, the contractor is putting up a suspended platform on the I-5 Lake Washington Ship Canal bridge,” WSDOT spokesman Tom Pearce said. “That will allow workers to access parts of the bridge and also acts as a safety measure. The Ship Canal bridge is a double-decker bridge.
“The Express Lanes are underneath and the main lanes on top, and so the platform will keep any material, loose material or tools or anything falling into the lanes of traffic. Then we have one
Largest Solar Power Facility in U.S. Gets OK in Oregon
The Sunstone Solar project, a 1.2 gigawatt solar and energy storage facility that would become the United States’ largest solar power facility, was approved for construction by the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council, newsweek.com reported.
Developer Pine Gate Renewables announced that the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council approved the project for construction in Morrow County about 15 miles northeast of Lexington, after a Nov. 14 hearing. Overall, Oregon has 1.9 gigawatts of solar power facilities, meaning the new
project almost doubles the state’s capacity, according to newsweek.com.
The project will see 9.5 mi. of transmission lines constructed, paired with advanced battery storage, enabling an energy supply at all times. The size and scope surpass all previous solar installations in the United States, making it a milestone in the transition toward cleaner energy sources. Oregon has prioritized that with ambitious renewable energy targets.
Other facilities to be constructed include an interconnection substation, up to six collector substations, up to four
operations and maintenance buildings and roads, perimeter fencing and gates, according to the siting council.
Construction is expected to begin in 2025, with full operation anticipated by 2028. The facility will cover approximately 7,000 acres and is projected to power more than 240,000 homes. The addition of battery storage units will provide resilience against power outages and fluctuations, a crucial feature in stabilizing renewable energy grids, newsweek.com reported.
The project is expected to generate
see SOLAR page 6
Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council photo A map of the proposed Sunstone Solar project.
Crews install wiring to support the suspended scaffolding.
2024 Construction Season Wraps for I-90 in Washington
From Easton to Vantage, crews made significant progress on Interstate 90 construction in 2024.
Summer 2024 marked the 15th year of construction on the I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East project, which improves 15 mi. of I-90 between Hyak and Easton.
Washington State Department of Transportation and contractor crews are working on the third phase of a multi-phase project, near Easton. Crews are realigning the highway, adding a new lane in each direction, stabilizing rock slopes, building wildlife crossings, improving sight distance and traffic safety.
Here’s what crews accomplished in 2024:
• 16 retaining walls are in progress with 571,329 cu. yds. of embankment filled to build the eastbound lanes.
• 17 rock blasting missions completed removing 403,536 cu. yds. of debris making way for the new highway alignment.
• More than 40 culverts were installed for stormwater drainage and provide safe crossings for small animals. Construction under way on five undercrossings and an over-
crossing.
All lanes of traffic for 2 mi. near Easton were shifted slightly to the north in September and will remain in the configuration through winter
Near South Cle Elum, construction on two bridges is complete, and traffic is moving smoothly in both directions.
Over the summer, crews built a platform stretching the length of the I-90 Vantage Bridge allowing them to work under the span. They completed 80 percent of repairs to bridge piers and replaced 60 concrete panels. The I90/Vantage Bridge project is now 25 percent completed.
In 2025, I-90 construction work will resume on Phase 3 near Easton with plans to shift traffic onto the new alignment in two to three years. At Vantage, travelers should plan for added travel time in the spring as traffic resumes to one lane in each direction so crews replace the bridge deck.
The $335 million Phase 3 of the corridor improvement project and repairs to the Vantage Bridge are both scheduled for completion in 2028.
The $453 million Phase 1 was completed in 2019, as was the $110 million Phase 2. A fourth phase will begin in 2028 with a scheduled 2031 completion.
(All photos courtesy of the Washington State Department of Transportation.)
Two-Day Construction Safety Summit Planned in Bend, Ore.
A two-day training conference in central Oregon will offer training opportunities for workers in the residential, commercial and industrial construction industries to increase their protection from safety and health hazards, according to mycentraloregon.com.
The 22nd annual Mid-Oregon Construction Safety Summit on Jan. 27-28, 2025, will address multiple topics, several of which will be offered in Spanish. Topics include fall protection, ladders and scaffolds, excavations, electrical systems, communication, and heat and wildfire smoke, according to mycentraloregon.com.
The event features the OSHA 10-hour training for construction and training in work zone safety and flagging.
Certifications and recertifications will be available. In addition, attendees will have access to continuing education credits, including credits through Oregon’s Construction Contractors Board and Landscape Contractors Board, mycentraloregon.com reported.
Oregon Occupational Safety and Health (Oregon OSHA), a division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, encourages employers and workers to attend the summit at the Riverhouse Lodge Convention Center in Bend. Oregon OSHA is one of several partners sponsoring the summit, according to mycentraloregon.com. The keynote presentation, “Champions of Safety: Unleashing the Lifesaving Power of
Culture and Communication,” will be delivered by Layla McGlone, founder of Building Excellence, on Jan. 28. McGlone will show how a strong safety culture — driven by core values, leadership commitment and employee engagement — can transform an organization and significantly reduce workplace injuries, according to mycentraloregon.com.
The summit’s other sessions include:
• Preventing fall hazard exposures
• Pre-task planning to strengthen safety and health
• Hand and power tools and personal protective equipment
• Health hazards in the construction industry
• Understanding Oregon OSHA and its inspection process
• A supervisor’s safety responsibilities
• Underground line safety
• Building a better safety culture
• Driving defensively and safely
Registration for the preconference workshops on Jan. 27 is $75. Conference registration on Jan. 28 is $120. Registration for the OSHA 10-hour training for construction is $175 for both days. The cost of the first-aid workshop on Jan. 27 is $95.
To register, visit safetyseries. cventevents.com/summit25.
For more information, contact the Oregon OSHA Conference Section at 503/947-7411 or oregon.conferences@dcbs.oregon.gov.
Deck repairs proceed on the Interstate 90 Vantage Bridge.
A catwalk is constructed on the I-90 Vantage Bridge.
Piers are repaired beneath the bridge.
THE DOER’S DREAM
Loved for the features. Trusted for the performance.
Hyundai articulated dump trucks have the power and performance — not to mention top-notch interiors, clear sight lines and handy tech — that make life on the jobsite easier. So you can do more without feeling like longtime fans.
See
$33.2M Grant Announced for First Wildlife Crossing Over I-5
A $33,200,100 federal grant award will allow the Oregon Department of Transportation to construct a wildlife crossing over Interstate 5 in southern Oregon in the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument. This will be the first wildlife overcrossing for Oregon and the entire stretch of I-5 between Mexico and Canada.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) grant was announced on Dec. 20, 2024.
“With this significant investment of federal funding, ODOT can now provide a new connection for wildlife in an ecologically diverse area,” ODOT Director Kris Strickler said. “This will improve safety for drivers on I-5 by reducing wildlife collisions. I want to thank our federal partners for making this project possible by fully funding ODOT’s grant request.”
The grant award will go toward construction of a wildlife overpass on I-5 just north of the Oregon-California border. The location is within the Mariposa Preserve, part of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
Funding will allow for the construction of an overpass spanning the northbound and southbound lanes, directional fencing to funnel wildlife to the structure and associated habitat improvements. The purpose of a wildlife crossing is to prevent wildlifevehicle collisions, which threaten the safety of both motorists and wildlife, and to reconnect critical wildlife habitat.
“What a huge win for Southern Oregon. This first-ever I-5 wildlife crossing in Oregon will be instrumental in safeguarding all the special species that call the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument home, while protecting drivers from dangerous wildlife collisions and costly damages to their vehicles,” U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said. “I’ve long championed efforts to strengthen the CascadeSiskiyou area, and this latest federal investment I pushed to secure will certainly go a long way toward protecting drivers and the
diverse wildlife that are entwined with this spectacular landscape that’s unlike anywhere in the world.”
In addition to the FHWA grant award, ODOT will provide matching funds of $3,799,900 for a total project cost of $37 million. The required match comes from a $7 million allocation to wildlife corridors by the Oregon legislature with the passage of House Bill 5202 in 2022.
There are six wildlife undercrossings in the state, including five under U.S. 97 and one under U.S. 20. Their construction has led to an 86 percent decrease in vehiclewildlife collisions. Recent data shows the average cost of a vehicle collision with a deer is $9,000, and $24,000 for a collision with an elk. Future sites for wildlife overcrossings on U.S. 20 are under review in central Oregon.
ODOT has collaborated with the Southern Oregon Wildlife Crossing Coalition, a group of governmental, nonprofit and tribal partners, to develop a plan and support for a wildlife crossing.
“We are grateful for all the hard work our partners have put in to help bring the project to fruition,” said Darrin Neavoll, ODOT Region 3 manager. “This project means a lot to a lot of people.”
Oregon Solar Plant Expected to Be Fully Operational by 2028
SOLAR from page 1
significant economic benefits for Oregon, including job creation.
In addition, it will contribute to Oregon’s goal of sourcing all of its electricity from renewable sources by 2040, newsweek.com reported.
According to U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data, solar energy constituted nearly 16 percent of new electricity generation capacity in the
first half of 2024. Oregon sources around 4 percent of its electricity from solar, which powers about 250,000 homes.
Maggie Sasser, Pine Gate Renewables’ vice president of government & external affairs, told Newsweek that the project was built with the ground up with the clean energy in mind, saying:
“The project will be built in stages and construction is slated to begin in 2026. Pine Gate worked exten-
sively with Morrow County, Oregon, and other stakeholders to ensure the Sunstone Solar project is a beneficial investment in the area with broad community support.
“The project represents well over a billion dollars in clean energy infrastructure investment and a cost-effective supply of clean power to meet the growing electricity demand in the Pacific Northwest.”
In a statement, Pine Gate Renewables CEO Ben Catt said:
“Oregon’s energy facility permitting process is one of the most rigorous in the entire country. The recent unanimous permit approval is a testament to the way our team worked with stakeholders t to provide a win-win for Oregon and the Morrow County community.”
Pine Gate Renewables owns and manages 17 other solar
power projects in Oregon and more than 100 around the United States. The company was established in 2016 and has secured more than $7 billion in investments and project financing, according to carboncredits.com
The largest solar power facility in the United States at present is the DeGiovanni Franklin Solar Plant in New Jersey, which has a capacity of 983 megawatts per hour.
Julie Denney, Oregon Department of Transportation photo The proposed site of a wildlife crossing over Interstate 5 in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, just north of the Oregon-California border.
Revive I-5 Program Continues in King, Snohomish Counties
I-5 from page 1
underneath, too, because of Lake Union and that will protect that and the roadway and walkways from any falling material or tools.”
The Ship Canal Bridge carries 200,000 vehicles daily— about 100,000 in each direction and the work zone is about 8 miles in distance
This section of I-5 was built in the early to mid-1960s and was part of a preservation and maintenance program starting in about 2010. Much of the concrete surface is original, with patches and repairs throughout leaving it rutted and cracked. Since most of it is elevated, it is technically considered a bridge and features numerous expansion joints to allow it to flex and bend with the weight of traffic and weather conditions, Pearce said.
The Revive I-5 program began in about 2014 and has 15 to 20 future projects for which WSDOT has identified funding. “It’s everything from paving to fish passages to seismic retrofit, Pearce said. There are also another dozen or so projects that do not yet have funding sources, he said.
The Yesler Way to Northgate project promises to be a headache for commuters with long-term lane closures beginning in March and lasting into fall 2025.
“We will reduce the I-5 main line to two lanes northbound ... and to keep people moving, we will have the Express Lanes operate northbound the full time, Pearce said. “Usually they reverse — they’re southbound in the morning into the city and northbound out of the city in
the evening. Now, they’re just going to be all northbound.”
In 2026, crews will reduce the southbound lanes from the Ship Canal Bridge to Denny Way and the express lanes will operate southbound full time. But in June, all lanes on the interstate will open temporarily.
“We’ll do our closure probably late winter, then in early June, one week before the FIFA World Cup, our contractor has to pick up everything,” Pearce said. “A week after, they can come back and reclose the southbound lanes and work through the fall.
WSDOT also plans four full directional closures to allow workers to install concrete — or Jersey — barriers to separate traffic from the workers. The first weekend closure will take place on northbound I-5 likely in March, with express lanes open. In midsummer, a second closure will be necessary to move the barrier and restripe and move work to the right lanes. A third closure will occur when the work is finished so the barriers can be removed.
“People are still going to be able to get where they want to go, but they are going to have to plan ahead; they’re going to have to consider alternatives, traveling at maybe a little different time than what they’re used to, using public transportation, carpools, van pools,” Pearce said. “People are going to be able to do what they want to do, but it’s going to require some planning.”
(All photos courtesy of the Washington State Department of Transportation.)
A new expansion joint is lowered into place.
Part of an expansion joint is in place with a worker underneath.
