Pacific Northwest 9, April 23, 2023

Construction Season Begins On Washington’s Interstate 90

Several road improvement projects along Interstate 90 now through the fall are being planned and executed by contractor crews working for the Washington Department of Transportation.

Dozens of bridges are being repaired, slopes are being stabilized and many sections of pavements will receive upgrades on the Washington state highway system. There also are a number of new projects that will start to take shape along I-90, marking a very busy construction season for local contractors.

“This year there will be multiple projects along I90,” said Brian White, WSDOT assistant region administrator of design and construction.

As part of the planned upgrades, contractor crews also will resume work on the I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East Project to continue building a wider, safer and more reliable stretch of highway between the Cabin Creek and West Easton interchanges. Rock blasting resumes in June and will be complete in the fall.

The I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East Project is a nearly $1 billion project that has been constructed in phases, with the fourth phase scheduled to begin in spring 2026.

The final 2 mi. of Phase 1 was completed in 2019. That included widening I-90; replacing and building new bridges, two of which are new avalanche bridges; stabilizing rock slopes; and expanding chain up and chain off areas. It also included two 150-ft. wildlife undercrossings and two 900-ft. long wildlife crossing bridges. Phase 2 and 2A covered the next 2 mi. of the corridor and featured similar upgrades, along with the wildlife crossings. It was also completed in 2019. Phase 3 widened I-90, built truck climbing lanes and straightened curves. That phase was being worked on as recently as 2021. The next phases will be part of the planned upgrades.

see CONSTRUCTION page 4

Pacific Northwest Connection

As part of upgrades on Interstate 90, the Washington Department of Transporatation has announced that dozens of bridges are being repaired, slopes are being stabilized and many sections of pavements will receive necessary upgrades on the state highway system.

“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 195

Multiple Projects Along I-90 Will Give Highway New Look

CONSTRUCTION from page 1

Along with connecting major metro areas along a freight corridor, the highway is a long established wildlife crossing.

The U.S. Forest Service wouldn’t grant WSDOT an additional easement for the road work unless the state agency complied with management plans to make those crossings safer for the abundant wildlife — and by extension, motorists.

“Using the easement was cheaper than buying land,” said White. “But if we didn't deal with wildlife connectivity, the project would not be in compliance and we couldn't get the grant easement. We were going to have to figure out a different way to do the project.”

For additional construction on I-90, there are approximately six planned projects that will take place over the course of the next several months:

I-90 Homestead Valley Road to Coal Creek

Project scope: bridge deck rehabilitation

Construction timeline: summer 2023 to fall 2023 (continues each year through 2025).

I-90, 2.77 mi. East of Tinkham Road

Project scope: slope stabilization

Construction timeline: summer 2023 to fall 2023.

I-90 Wildlife Crossing

Project scope: Icicle mitigation

Construction timeline: summer 2023.

I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East, Cabin Creek to Easton Phase 3

Project scope: Rebuild roadway, bridges and add lanes

Construction timeline: summer 2023 to fall 2023 (continues each year through 2028)

I-90 South Cle Elum Road Bridges

Project scope: repair bridge decks

Construction timeline: summer 2023 to fall 2023 (continues each year through 2025)

I-90 Vantage Bridge

Project scope: replace bridge deck

Construction timeline: August 2023 to November 2023 (continues each year through 2026)

I-90 Vantage Bridge Deck Replacement

One of the larger projects scheduled to resume spring 2024 is the replacement of the bridge deck across the I-90 Vantage Bridge. The bridge was built in 1962 and the last time it received a major overhaul was in 1982. Preliminary work starts in fall 2023. In 2024, the Vantage Bridge will be reduced to one lane in each direction.  (All photos courtesy of WSDOT.)

Idaho Department of Transportation Wins Intl. Safety Award

The Idaho Transportation Department’s (ITD) work zone safety and winter road maintenance efforts recently won in the Leadership categories of the international Communitas Awards, which recognizes excellence in Community Service and Social Responsibility.

“Making Work Zones Safer” won on March 23 in the Leadership in Community Service category and “Winter Road Maintenance Customer Service to Idaho Road Users” won in a category called Leadership in Community Service and Corporate Social Responsibility. ITD won in categories that also featured such massive companies as Toyota, MasterCard, Dow Chemical and Honeywell.

“We are proud of our employees for winning this international recognition in the middle of our busiest winter storms season in years,” ITD Chief Deputy, COO

Dan McElhinney said. “Their outstanding customer-focused efforts keep our highways and work zones safe for drivers, project contractors and our own dedicated highway workers. This is truly a confirmation of the incredible services they provide daily for Idaho communities statewide.”

“We started this program to highlight the community involvement of great companies and individuals who were sharing their skills and resources with their communities,” said Mardelle Riley of the association of marketing and communications professionals [the umbrella group guiding the Communitas Awards]. “Our judges found that your nominee clearly exhibits the spirit of communitas, a Latin word that means people coming together for the good of a community. Communitas winners are recognized for specific programs involving volunteerism, philanthropy and

ethical, sustainable business practices.

“The Winter Road Maintenance entry focused on the above-and-beyond efforts of employees across the state,” she added.

“It was truly a testament to the incredible efforts every day by nearly 1,000 workers to keep our roads and bridges clear and open. The Work Zone entry also had widespread significance, since it too impacts the majority of ITD workers on roadsides throughout the state.”

ITD tracked 4,572 storm events last year but have already seen 6,773 storms this year and this number will likely continue to climb over the next month or so. The numbers demonstrate this winter has been more intense than recent years. However, the Mobility Score, which indicates the percentage of time during winter storms that the state roads are clear and passable, remains steady at 75 percent despite the more challenging winter.

ITD Chief Deputy, COO Dan McElhinney

The I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East Project is a nearly $1 billion project that has been constructed in phases, with the fourth phase scheduled to begin in spring 2026.

For additional construction on I-90, there are approximately six planned projects by WSDOT that will take place over the course of the next several months

Fecon Debuts FMX28 Bull Hog Compact Excavator Mulcher

Fecon LLC, a global manufacturer of heavy-duty site preparation attachments and forestry accessories, debuted the FMX28 Bull Hog compact excavator mulcher attachment at its booth at ConExpo-Con/AGG 2023.

Capable of mulching overgrowth, underbrush and small trees, the FMX28 attachment offers a versatile solution for clearing property lines, pastureland, real estate lots, ditches, trails, fencerows and invasive species, and more.

Paired with 3.5- to 8-ton excavators, the compact package makes it easy to access traditionally difficult-to-reach places with precision — making it a perfect fit for owneroperators, rental centers and right-of-way maintenance, the manufacturer said.

The excavator-mounted FMX28 allows for surgical precision in vegetation management, enabling the removal of a single tree in a group or even specific branches that need to be trimmed back from obstructions — an ability traditional skid-steer mounted mulching heads can’t offer.

Unlike units which are simply shrunk down from a larger design, the FMX28 features a design purpose-built and optimized for standard flow excavators that are 3.5- to 5-tons and can operate with as little as 12 gpm, ensuring enhanced performance in demanding site clearing and mulching applications.

With an overall width of 40 in. and a working width of 28 in., the attachment mounts on excavators up to 8 tons, allowing a narrow mulching cut for precision vegeta-

tion removal. A variable displacement hydraulic motor optimizes rotor speed and torque for maximum production in small or larger materials.

“We were thrilled to showcase the FMX28 compact excavator mulching attachment for the first time at ConExpoCon/AGG 2023,” said Mark Middendorf, Fecon’s executive vice president of sales.

“Our portfolio of world-class forestry attachments are specifically designed to be purpose-built with the versatility and durability customers can count on to tackle virtually any site-clearing task with ease.”

The mulching head features 14 reversible knife tools on a bite-limiting split ring rotor. The rotor design protects the carrier and provides ease of use for even inexperienced operators by virtually eliminating the possibility of overloading the attachment. The fixed knife design ensures a consistently small chip size and effective management of all vegetation from trees up to 5 in. in diameter. The reversible Cubit knives extend the total life of the tool to 140 to 200 hours per edge.

Fecon also offers a Cubit carbide tool option for applications that require high levels of ground clearing, especially in rocky soils. The attachment’s unique rear throat design narrows as the material passes, trapping oversized pieces of debris in the blade area to ensure proper and uniform chip size and controlled material disbursement.

For more information, visit www.fecon.com. 

Fecon LLC photo

Paired with the smallest class of excavators, the compact package allows the FMX28 mulching attachment easy access to traditionally difficult-to-reach places with precision — making it a perfect fit for owner-operators, rental centers and right-of-way maintenance.

Fecon LLC photo Capable of mulching overgrowth, underbrush and small trees, the FMX28 offers a versatile solution for clearing property lines, pastureland, real estate lots, ditches, trails, fencerows and invasive species and more.

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WSU Team Wins Construction Management Competition

A student team from the Washington State University construction management program earned first place in the recent Associated Schools of Construction student competition, the largest construction management competition in the U.S.

The team won first place in the Commercial category competing against 17 other teams from schools in California, Oregon and Washington.

More than 1,600 students from 57 universities and 24 states participated in the competition, which was held in Sparks, Nev. The competition required that students solve complex problems in less than 24 hours, present proposals and participate in a rigorous question and answer session in a business-like setting. WSU construction management, architecture, construction engineering and civil engineering students participated.

The WSU team was coached by Jason Peschel, associate professor and interim director of the School of Design and Construction, and sponsored by Howard S. Wright Construction. For the competition, sponsored by Hensel Phelps, the students used construction management skills such as scheduling, estimating, site logistics, site safety and technical writing to develop a pro-

posal for a real-life construction problem. The student team included Sarah Robinson, Cameron Stout, Jaeden Biehn, Logan Prouse, Shaaki Shaik and Molly Mahoney, with alternates Nathan Vani and Garrett Nelson.

“This is the fifth time in the last decade the WSU commercial team has won first place,” said Peschel, “and, incredibly, it’s the third year in a row that the team has made the podium with a first-place win. Given the strong competition, this accomplishment is a

remarkable statement about the strength of the program and the students. It’s difficult to put into words just how proud I am of these students.”

WSU also had teams competing in the Design Build and Heavy Civil categories. The teams were multidisciplinary with architecture and construction management students on the Design Build team and students from construction management, construction engineering and civil engineering making up the Heavy Civil team.

“These teams worked hard and invested an incredible amount of time in preparation for the competition,” said Peschel, “and though they may not have placed, they did a wonderful job exhibiting what they’ve learned while representing WSU.”

Several industry partners, including Exxel Pacific, Howard S. Wright, Mortenson, Graham, GLY and Holland Construction provided financial support and/or practice problems for the WSU student teams in preparation for the competition.

“We are very grateful for the industry support that we have here at WSU,” said Peschel. “Our students are fortunate to get such great experience and opportunities to develop skills that will bring them success in careers. As always, Go Cougs.” 

WSU photo

Commercial team first place winners. (L-R, front row): Molly Mahoney, Shaaki Shaik, Sarah Robinson and Jaeden Biehn. (L-R, back row): Logan Prouse, Nathan Vani (alternate), Garrett Nelson (alternate), Cameron Stout and Jason Peschel (coach).