Pacific Northwest 13, June 18, 2023

The Walsh Group is extending SR 520’s new transit/HOV system to I-5 via by constructing

connection between SR 520 and the

Street interchange via the I-5 express lanes. see

Wash. Looking for Fixes After Slide Wipes Out 85-Ft. Bridge

Shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday, May 14, debris from an adjacent hillside fell approximately 2,000 ft. above SR 504-Spirit Lake Memorial Highway-and covered the roadway with rock, mud, ice and water causing catastrophic damage to the Spirit Lake Outlet Bridge, which connects travelers to the Johnston Ridge Observatory, near Mt. St. Helens.

The slide washed out an 85-ft. bridge, damaged the roadway, and severed power to Johnston Ridge Observatory. No one was injured because of the incident and 12 members of the public who were stranded overnight at Johnston Ridge Observatory were safely flown out the following morning.

WSDOT and federal agencies are working together to assess the slide area and develop next steps. Due to continued landslide instability, data collection is being conducted from the air.

WSDOT scheduled a fixed wing aircraft LIDAR (laser imaging, detection and ranging) flight over the area on Friday, May 19 to gather preliminary data. This was an important step in collecting data to help inform when on-site access, cleanup and work can begin. It is too soon to tell when crews may be able to access the slide from the ground or when the highway may reopen.

In coordination with federal agencies, the

Washington State Department of Transportation closed the highway to all travelers. Travel along SR 504 remains open with multiple scenic viewpoints up to milepost 43 near the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater. There is currently no access to Coldwater Lake, the Hummocks Trail and the Johnston Ridge Observatory. For safety, WSDOT and federal agencies strongly encourage people

not to venture beyond the highway closure location due to the severity of the unstable hillside.

The USDA Forest Service is in the process of exploring alternative options for visitors who would like to visit the north side of the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument this summer and develop a plan to manage the influx of visitors in a safe manner. Several other visitor centers located

along SR 504 remain open to the public, including scenic viewpoints where visitors can see Mount St. Helens and learn about the history, eruption, and recovery of the volcano. As the snow melts and forest service roads open for the season, additional sites on the Monument and surrounding communities will begin to open for visitors to explore. 

(All photos courtesy of WSDOT.)

The USDA Forest Service is in the process of exploring alternative options for visitors who would like to visit the north side of the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument this summer and develop a plan to manage the influx of visitors in a safe manner.

WSDOT and federal agencies are working together to assess the slide area and develop next steps. Due to continued landslide instability, data collection is being conducted from the air.

The slide washed out an 85-ft. bridge, damaged the roadway and severed power to Johnston Ridge Observatory.

Debris from an adjacent hillside fell approximately 2,000 ft. above SR 504-Spirit Lake Memorial Highwayand covered the roadway with rock, mud, ice and water causing catastrophic damage to the Spirit Lake Outlet Bridge, which connects travelers to the Johnston Ridge Observatory, near Mt. St. Helens.

Construction Project Part of ‘Rest of West’ Improvements

Crews from the Walsh Group began constructing a new flyover ramp that will connect State Route 520 directly to the I-5 express lanes.

The contractor set the foundation for that ramp — steel girders — over the weekend of May 19 to 21.

The contractor set and assembled 15 large steel girders that were 75-to-100-ft. long, 5-ft., 5-in. tall and weigh approximately 36,000 lbs.

In all, it involved two crews of 25 construction workers from Walsh working alongside WSDOT inspectors and traffic operations over four shifts to execute the job. The result was a new bridge in one weekend and northbound I5 was closed for only 15 hours late Friday night into Saturday afternoon.

This project —valued at $68 million — is extending SR 520’s new transit/HOV system to I-5 by providing a dedicated, reversible connection between SR 520 and the I5/Mercer Street interchange via the I-5 express lanes. The

new reversible lane will work in concert with the I-5 express lanes. When the I-5 express lanes are operating in the northbound direction, the new ramp will connect to eastbound SR 520. The new ramp will connect westbound SR 520 vehicles to the I-5 express lanes when they are operating in the southbound direction.

Walsh Group also will be responsible for the construction of 23 retaining walls; five ramps (full depth replacement of the roadway cross section, utilities and walls); a new, three-span steel girder bridge; and reconfiguring an existing southbound off-ramp.

Overall, the project encompasses:

• Building a new, reversible transit/HOV ramp between SR 520 and the I-5 express lanes;

• Restriping I-5 express lanes to retain the four existing lanes while adding a reversible transit/HOV lane between the I-5/SR 520 interchange and Mercer Street;

• Modifying an existing ramp for reversible operations

between the I-5 express lanes and Mercer Street.

Construction of this project is the second of four SR 520 projects that make up the Rest of the West improvements. The projects were funded in 2015 in the Connecting Washington funding package.

This project is on track for a spring 2024 completion. The milestone marks a new look for Interstate 5 in downtown Seattle for the first time in nearly 50 years.

Initially, only buses will use the connection. Later, when construction of the SR 520 — Portage Bay Bridge and Roanoke Lid Project is complete and a new lane is available to receive the connection, the reversible lane will also be open to carpools.

“When complete, this project will provide a reliable transit link between the region’s major employment centers in Seattle’s South Lake Union and the Eastside via SR 520,” said Program Administrator Omar Jepperson.  (All photos courtesy of WSDOT.)

Construction crews make room for a new ramp that will connect SR 520 to the I-5 express lanes.

The contractor set and assembled 15 large steel girders that were 75-to-100-ft. long, 5-ft., 5-in. tall and weigh approximately 36,000 lbs.

Walsh Group also will be responsible for the construction of 23 retaining walls; five ramps (full depth replacement of the roadway cross section, utilities and walls); a three-span steel girder bridge; and reconfiguring an existing southbound off-ramp.

Idaho Breaks Ground On Largest Research Dairy in U.S.

The University of Idaho announced that excavation crews began clearing the way for the construction of the Idaho Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (Idaho CAFE).

Once the site is ready, cement pouring for a milking parlor will commence, ahead of the first dairy cows arriving in late 2024 and milking in early 2025.

When Idaho CAFE opens it is expected to be the largest research dairy in the United States. Researchers there will use the facility to develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from animals and advance the US dairy industry’s nationwide net zero initiative. Plans also include finding markets for dairy waste from the facility, so that it can be converted into byproducts and fertilizers.

“CAFE will be a leader [for] water usage and environmental quality challenges while supporting the continued growth of the dairy, livestock, cropland and food processing industries,” said University President Scott Green.

While initial construction work for the project originally was scheduled to begin in summer of 2022, the university stated that U of I and its partners delayed the process to allow time for “exorbitant construction costs to fall.” The university said the prices asso-

ciated with the project’s first phase dropped “by roughly $4 million” during the pause, following a ceremonial groundbreaking in June 2022.

Organizers said the first phase of the project includes a 2,000-cow dairy, alongside a 640-acre research farm.

“The outlook is very bright,” said Mark McGuire, director of the Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station. “The lower bids mean we have sufficient funds to fully build this project.”

A second phase for the project will include manure handling facilities and lagoons, a maternity barn, a feed area, an office building and structures to provide shade and wind protection for cows, with

several pens for research purposes.

The university also said an improved budgetary outlook might make a third phase possible. That would incorporate a crossventilated barn for housing 800 to 1,200 cows.

This year, Cargill and Redox BioNutrients both announced $500,000 donations for the project. The university said total industry contributions now stand at close to $9 million. The project also previously received $23.25 million from the sale of U of I’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences endowment land. Plus, the state legislature approved $10 million for the project in 2018, while the Idaho Dairymen’s Association contributed $2 million for the purchase of

farmland for the facility.

“Without the support first and foremost of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, we wouldn’t have been able to purchase that site, and now with all of these other allied industry partners coming on board we will be able to build a facility that will meet the needs of the dairy industry and serve the citizens of Idaho,” McGuire said.

Per the university, the project thus far has generated more than $13 million in grant activity, which will support the work of graduate students and undergraduates hired to be research assistants.

“Our students will benefit by having access to a world-class facility,” Green said. “Students will gain hands-on experience working with the latest agricultural technologies, and Idaho industry will gain access to the latest advancements and research.”

“The dairy industry nationwide has set a goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse emissions by 2050,” said Brent Olmstead, assistant dean of the Agricultural College, “The dairy industry has no idea how to do that at present. CAFE will provide an opportunity for research to get Idaho's dairy families to a point where they can reach that goal.”

University of Idaho photo

Excavators move dirt in Rupert, Idaho, at the site of the University of Idaho-led Idaho Center for Agriculture Food and the Environment.

FALCON WINCH ASSIST

FALCON GRAPPLE CLAW

Washington Gears Up for Summer Construction Season

Contractor crews working for WSDOT will repair bridge decks, fix sections of pavement, build roundabouts and paint bridges. WSDOT crews also will complete a number of maintenance and preservation projects to help maintain the condition of the state infrastructure.

U.S. 97: Dry Creek — Paving

Timeline: June 2023 – Fall 2023

This project repaves U.S. 97 south of Toppenish near Status Pass. There will be flagger-controlled alternating traffic weekdays in both directions of this 11-mi. section.

I-82 Yakima River Bridges, Chandler Canal — Bridge Deck Rehab

Timeline: June 2023 – Fall 2023

This project resurfaces the decks of three

bridges on I-82. Both directions of I-82 will be reduced to a single-lane during construction.

U.S. 12/Gordon Road — Bridge Deck Repair

Timeline: July 2023 – Fall 2024

Westbound bridge deck repair will take place on U.S. 12 between the North First Street and North 16th Avenue exits in Yakima. During construction, two lanes of traffic will be open in each direction on U.S. 12 by shifting one lane of traffic onto the adjacent eastbound bridge. Crews also will be repairing the westbound off-ramp to North First Street.

U.S. 97/Jones Road: Construct Roundabout

Timeline: July 2023 – Fall 2023

U.S. 97 will remain open while a new

roundabout is constructed.

SR 241/Mabton — Retrofit Bridges

Timeline: July 2023 – Fall 2025

This project will remove the weight restrictions and restore the structural integrity of the Mabton bridges. The contractor will first widen three intersections along the detour route; Grandview Pavement Road and Hornby Road, Chase Road and Hornby Road; and South Euclid Road and Chase Road. Once the intersections are widened, the contractor will close the bridges in Mabton and drivers will then need to use the detour and use the Euclid Road Bridge to cross the Yakima River.

U.S. 395 Pioneer Memorial Bridge “Blue Bridge” Upgrade

Timeline: July 2023 – Summer 2025

The work may require single lane closures in each direction. One lane of traffic in each direction will remain open. WSDOT will work with the contractor to share dates once those are available.

U.S. 12 Naches Vic to Old Naches Highway Vic — Paving

Timeline: July 2023 – Fall 2023

This project repaves 6 mi. of U.S. 12 between Naches and Yakima.

I-82 Columbia River Bridge at Umatilla Eastbound — Painting

Timeline: Fall 2023 – Fall 2025

Eastbound traffic will be diverted to the westbound bridge of I-82. There will be one lane open in each direction on the westbound bridge. 

(All photos courtesy of WSDOT.)

The Yakima River Bridges — three of them along I-82 — will be resurfaced.

U.S. 97 South of Toppenish near Status Pass will be repaved.

A new roundabout will be constructed at U.S. 97 and Jones Road. The project is expected to wrap in fall 2023. There will be a paving project to upgrade a 6-mi. portion of U.S. 12 between Naches and Yakima.

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