Pacific Northwest 11, June 2, 2024

Construction On New Washington Span Reaches Milestone

The Washington Department of Transportation recently announced that construction crews have reached a milestone on the new State Route 16 bridge in the city of Gig Harbor.

On May 11, the DOT announced that construction crews have made substantial progress on construction of the new span and the new eastbound bridge in Purdy is now open.

The newly-constructed bridge is part of a two-pronged project where crews are rebuilding and reconstructing aging culverts with two bridge structures on SR 16 and SR 302 Spur.

The 206-ft.-long bridge on SR 16 replaces a 40-year culvert under the highway that blocks fish passage in Purdy Creek. Crews restriped lanes and moved traffic onto the bridge before the crucial opening.

With bridge construction complete, crews will remove the temporary lanes that kept people moving through the work zone. This summer, crews will rebuild the creek bed under the highway. Crews expect to wrap up final work by late fall.

Work began on SR 16 at Purdy Creek in fall 2022 and it will run through fall 2024. This specific location has specific time frames during the year when crews can perform work

Construction crews are nearing the finish line on a $40 million project after the new eastbound SR 16 bridge in Pierce County, Wash., officially opened.

in the water. Weather and/or material delays can extend the overall construction schedule for each location.

Work in the water is allowed July 15 through Sept. 1. Crews will start to “de-fish” the stream, which means removing and documenting fish and other marine life in the stream. The stream will be temporarily diverted through pipes to the other side of the highway so crews can build the streambed in its new location under the bridge. This work includes adding sediment and large tree trunks to provide refuge for salmon and other fish species as they migrate

see SPAN page 8

The 206-ft.-long bridge on SR 16 replaces a 40-year culvert under the highway that blocks fish passage in Purdy Creek.

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Topcon Expands Retail Presence With Store in Spokane, Wash.

Topcon Positioning Systems announced the grand opening of its new Topcon Solutions Store (TSS) in Spokane, Wash. The latest addition to the TSS network brings the total to 14 stores across the United States.

This strategically located store marks a significant expansion of the Topcon retail footprint in the Pacific Northwest and aims to meet the surging demand for infrastructure, healthcare, commercial and residential building projects as the Spokane area experiences rapid growth.

The new store will serve as a vital resource hub for the region, offering an array of cutting-edge products and services to support the construction and geopositioning sectors. TSS serves the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) sector as an Autodesk Platinum Partner, and the new location will include an Autodesk Authorized Training Center, enabling customers to experience innovative technology firsthand.

Topcon photo

The new store will serve as a vital resource hub for the region, offering an array of cutting-edge products and services to support the construction and geopositioning sectors.

Mark Contino, vice president of Topcon North American retail distribution, said he is excited about the new store’s potential impact on meeting the growing need for smart infrastructure in the Spokane region.

“We are thrilled to open our new store in Spokane. This expansion signifies our commitment to serving the Pacific Northwest market and supporting local contractors, engineers, and surveyors with the latest positioning solutions and a state-of-the-art training facility,” Contino said.

The Spokane area has been witnessing a surge in infrastructure projects, healthcare facilities, and both commercial and residential building initiatives. With this new location, local professionals across all AEC disciplines will have access to the complete range of Topcon’s advanced solutions. The store will not only cater to the needs of new customers but will also bolster existing local Topcon dealers with comprehensive parts, service, and product training support.

“We recognize the importance of collaboration and synergy within our industry, and the opening of the Spokane store will enable us to foster stronger relationships with our valued local dealers,” Contino said. “By working together, we can ensure that our customers receive top-notch service, extensive product knowledge, and the best solutions to meet the needs of today’s job sites.”

For more information, visit topconsolutions.com. 

U.S. Dept. of Transportation Lauds Investments in Portland

The Oregon Department of Transportation, the city of Portland and the Albina Vision Trust hosted the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Acting Undersecretary for Transportation Policy Christopher Coes and Director of the Departmental Office of Civil Rights Irene Marion to celebrate $488 million in federal funding for two northeast Portland infrastructure projects.

Coes and Marion serve as co-leads for all USDOT equity initiatives and play a central role in the federal Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grant program, a product of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. In March, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced $3.33 billion in grant awards for 132 locally led projects that reconnect communities. ODOT was awarded $450 million for the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project and the Portland Bureau of Transportation received $38 million for the Broadway Main Street & Supporting Neighborhood Connections project. These two projects have been designed in collaboration with the community to reconnect lower Albina, the heart of Portland’s Black community that was severed by the

original construction of Interstate 5 in the 1960s. At the event, representatives from USDOT said that the partnerships and community leadership behind these projects have created a national blueprint for federal funding.

“[The I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project] is the largest Reconnecting Communities project funded by the Department of Transportation,” said Coes, recognizing the significance of this investment. He went on to describe the project as “transformational” because of the community vision led by the Albina Vision Trust and the partnerships at the local, state, and federal levels.

Selected by USDOT from more than 600 applications from every state in the U.S., these grant awards are an important step in realizing the vision of reconnecting neighborhoods, improving the transportation network and taking part in a collective movement toward restoring the historic Albina community. It has taken conversations with the community, partnership building and hard work to bring the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement project to this point, better positioned to head to construction.

Community leaders and the Historic Albina Advisory Board joined the event,

along with State Representative Tawna Sanchez, Mayor Ted Wheeler, City Commissioner Mingus Mapps, Portland Trail Blazers President of Business Operations Dewayne Hankins, ODOT Director Kris Strickler and Oregon Transportation Commissioner Alicia Chapman.

“Most of us are emotional about this,” said James Posey, member of the Historic Albina advisory board that advises the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project. “It goes deeper than the brick and mortar we’re talk-

ing about — it’s the love for our community, the vision. This vision is more than a vision. It’s a dream come true.”

The $450 million grant awarded to ODOT is the largest in the history of the agency and it was the largest amount awarded through the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant program this year across the country. Funds will go toward finishing design and constructing the core part of the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project’s highway cover to support community reconnection, new community space and future development opportunities for the Albina community.

For the city of Portland, the $38 million federal grant provides the funds PBOT needs to transform N/NE Broadway by building wider sidewalks, better pedestrian crossings, more street trees, better street lighting, safer bike lanes and other elements that can reconnect lower Albina to downtown, the Rose Quarter, and other destinations.

Over the next few years, ODOT, the city of Portland, Albina Vision Trust and the community will continue to work together to build these projects to support and reconnect a thriving Albina neighborhood.

ODOT photo

USDOT Acting Undersecretary for Transportation Policy Christopher Coes makes comments at the media event.

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Seattle Hosts Touch-A-Truck Event

On Sat., May 11, Seattle Department of Transportation specialists participated in the Junior League of Seattle’s 11th Annual “Touch-ATruck” event at the University of Washington. This yearly, community-based education and fundraising event gives kids and families the chance to explore a wide variety of vehicles, including those from public agencies and private companies in the region.

Attendees could view, touch and step into vehicles outfitted for emergency response, utility work, heavy construction, landscaping, transportation infrastructure, goods delivery and more.

This year, hundreds of people joined SDOT and other local agencies to enjoy hands-on learning, crafts, games and food trucks.

This year featured the Under Bridge Inspection Truck, a vehicle used by SDOT teams for bridge inspection and maintenance. The agency oversees more than 130 bridges in Seattle and its crews use these vehicles to proactively inspect, maintain and regularly upkeep the many bridges in the city. The event also featured a crane truck and an SDOT Response Team (SRT) truck.

Mariner Moose, the mascot of Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners, was on hand to support crew members and the important work they do to keep the city’s transportation system operating smoothly. 

(All photos courtesy of SDOT.)

Idaho Officials Approve Resolution for Bridge Construction

The Idaho Transportation Board approved a resolution to begin next steps to enhance Magic Valley regional mobility, including consideration of a third Snake River crossing near Twin Falls.

ITD was approved to utilize up to $9 million to initiate recommendations presented based on a feasibility study developed with stakeholder interviews, traffic evaluations, design reviews, and close coordination with the Third River Joint Powers Board, the city of Twin Falls, and the Magic Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization.

“It takes strong regional partnerships that are united and persistent to bring a major bridge project to reality,” ITD Chief Deputy Director Dan McElhinney stated. “All are here today in teamwork with ITD. There are significant, complicated environmental and design work ahead that will likely require creative funding solutions partnering over the next few years.”

The Snake River Crossing project will follow the National Environmental Policy Act procedures over the next two years with ITD engaging many stakeholders, initiating field studies and preliminary design on alternatives to consider. Once a NEPA document is complete, a preferred alternative can be selected, as efforts continue to identify fund-

ing for construction.

In addition to the potential for a new bridge over the Snake River, the process will include consideration of other improvements to ease congestion and enhance connectivity, such as:

• Widen existing bridges on U.S. 30 and SH 46;

• Extend SH 79 or SH 25 south of Jerome

across the canyon to U.S. 93.

Other projects will also move forward, including:

• Widening or replacement of the SH-50 Hansen Bridge and widening 5 mi. miles of SH-50;

• Traffic mobility improvements to the intersection of US-93 (Pole Line Road) and Blue Lakes Boulevard.

“All of these near and long term improvement considerations will help provide this growing region with important mobility alternatives as our existing transportation system continues to experience more traffic demand,” ITD District 4 Engineer Jesse Barrus said .

Construction Continues On I-15 at Inkom

The Idaho Transportation Department is continuing work on the Interstate roadway and bridges from the south Inkom interchange to the Portneuf interchange. Ongoing work includes guardrail repair, paving and patching and repairing bridge decks. In addition, crews are patching pier caps, applying epoxy overlays and waterproofing parapets on the Rapid Creek, South Inkom interchange, and Portneuf River bridges.

Work is anticipated to continue through the end of June with single lane crossovers. Drivers are reminded to slow down in work zones, allow other vehicles to merge and drive defensively.

Replacement of the West Inkom interchange, Union Pacific Railroad and Main Street bridges are still planned for next year.

An SDOT bridge inspection and maintenance vehicle.

On display were an extended crane (middle), aerial bucket truck (L) and under bridge inspection truck.

Mariner Moose with SDOT team members Joseph Woodbury (L) and Ken Ewalt.

Crews Adding Final Checklist Items to Complete Project

SPAN from page 1

through Purdy Creek. The final piece of the puzzle is the landscaping. After the in-water work is complete, WSDOT crews will add native plants along the stream to provide nutrients and food for the fish. Crews will work through the fall to finish any final elements of the project.

SR 302 Spur Update

The project also included a new bridge on the SR 302 Spur between Purdy Lane and 144th Street which was completed in 2023. This past April, crews returned to pave northbound SR 302. In the next couple of months when the weather allows, they will return to pave the southbound lanes. When this work is complete, a new shared-use path will open on the bridge for people who walk or roll.

Project Background/Need

Purdy Creek attempts to flow under SR 16 inside a 40-year-old culvert. Many fish species cannot swim through the old culvert. This project replaces the culvert with two 206-ft.-long bridge structures.

Purdy Creek also ran under the SR 302 Spur through an old culvert before it entered the tidal flats of the Burley Lagoon. The culvert was challenging for fish to navigate. During 2023, crews filled in the old culvert and built a 77-ft.-long bridge structure to replace it.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates the work at both sites combined will open a total of 6.5 mi. of habitat. This work also will help preserve the integrity of the highways and reduce maintenance costs by reducing or eliminating the possibility of culvert blockages. 

(All photos courtesy of Washington Department of Transportation.)

The newly-constructed bridge is part of a twopronged project where crews are rebuilding and reconstructing aging culverts with two bridge structures on SR 16 and SR 302 Spur.

In summer 2023, contractors set up a large barrier in Burley Lagoon to prevent marine life from accessing the work area. Crews will install a similar but smaller barrier at SR 16 for the in-water work there.

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This summer, crews will rebuild the creek bed under the highway. Crews expect to wrap up final work by late fall.

During 2023, crews filled in the culvert and built a 77-ft.-long bridge structure on SR 302 to replace it.

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