The apparent best value contractor is selected for the next stage of construction for the SR 509 Completion Project. which is part of the Puget Sound Gateway Program. The work takes place from Kent to SeaTac and builds the first mile of a new SR 509 Expressway. Guy F. Atkinson Construction is the apparent best value winner.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. That is exactly what contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will do beginning 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18, through 6 a.m. Monday, Dec. 21, at the State Route 107 Chehalis River Bridge – except no eating is involved.

A new report, the 2020 Framework for the Future, sets forth a roadmap for continued work in a post-COVID-19 future to bring ultra-high-speed ground transportation to the Pacific Northwest.

On Saturday, Dec. 12 contractor crews finished installing four drainage systems under SR 203 and an additional four in the hillside above between Stillwater Hill Road and Northeast 88th Street. This week, they will be demolishing and removing the rubble of the old highway, compacting the road base and applying new asphalt on top.

MUKILTEO – State ferry riders on the Mukilteo/Clinton route will get an upgrade on Tuesday evening, Dec. 29. That’s when Washington State Ferries’ new, safer and more efficient Mukilteo multimodal terminal will open to replace its cramped 63-year-old facility.

One lane of State Route 203 between Northeast Stillwater Hill Road and Northeast 88th Street will temporarily reopen from noon Saturday, Dec. 19 to noon Monday, Jan. 4, to provide an alternative route for travelers ahead of forecasted flooding of the Snoqualmie River this weekend.

SEATTLE – With statewide restrictions in place to help slow the spread of COVID-19, the public is being asked to limit rides on state ferries to essential purposes only over the Christmas and New Year’s holiday season.

Starting Monday, Jan. 4, Guy F. Atkinson Construction will install the final 30 bridge girders on the last three spans of the new southbound Interstate 5 Puyallup River Bridge. This work will require overnight weeknight lane and ramp closures on both southbound I-5 and State Route 167 in Tacoma.

Every Washingtonian uses active transportation connections at some point in a trip, whether crossing the street from their parking spot to their destination, walking to a bus stop or bicycling to school or work. That is why the Washington State Department of Transportation is asking for comments on its draft of the new State Active Transportation Plan, 2020 and Beyond.

The first day of winter brings weather advisories and snow forecasted to fall in south Washington Cascades. In preparation, the gates to the upper level of State Route 504, also known as Spirit Lake Memorial Highway, will be close for the winter.

MUKILTEO – The state’s new Mukilteo Multimodal Ferry Terminal, Washington State Ferries’ first new terminal in 40 years, officially opens with the arrival of the ferry from Clinton at 5:50 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 29.  The terminal replaces the old, cramped 63-year-old facility one-third of a mile to the west. The Mukilteo/Clinton route is one of the state’s busiest, carrying over four million riders each year.

Starting Monday, Jan. 4, a concrete barrier will be installed in the newly constructed six-foot wide median of US 2 between Bickford Avenue and just east of the State Route 9 interchange in Snohomish. The barriers will greatly reduce the risk of head-on and crossover collisions.

Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar announced today, Wednesday, Dec. 30, the appointments of several key positions in his agency’s executive leadership team.

The Washington State Department of Transportation will host a virtual public meeting with the I-405/SR 167 Corridor Program Executive Advisory Group.

Anyone interested in the bi-state Interstate Bridge Replacement program is welcome to attend public meetings held later this month for the Executive Steering Group, Community Advisory Group and Equity Advisory Group. All meetings will be hosted in Zoom to follow the states’ social distancing guidelines for slowing the spread of COVID-19. The meetings will also be livestreamed on YouTube, and those without internet access will have the option to call in to listen to the meetings.

SEATTLE – Annual ridership aboard Washington State Ferries plunged by nearly 10 million customers in 2020 – a drop of 41% from the previous year – to roughly 14 million. Stay-at-home orders, remote work and decreased tourism because of COVID-19 are the main reasons for the system’s lowest yearly count since 1975.

The Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission released its Phase I report that includes several recommendations, including a preliminary list of six airport sites with potential for expansion. The report also includes a proposal to meet near-term aviation demand at two or more existing airports while the work to locate a new airport continues and a proposal to extend the CACC’s final recommendation deadline to 2024.

Efforts to stabilize an embankment along State Route 8 begin this week after heavy rains triggered erosion at Wildcat Creek.

After months of being closed, all lanes of State Route 203 between Northeast Stillwater Hill Road and Northeast 88th Street will reopen by 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22. This comes nearly a year after a slow-moving landslide damaged a portion of the highway and caused part of the roadway to sink.

The bi-state Interstate Bridge Replacement program has selected members to serve on the program’s Community Advisory Group. This group will develop recommendations on key issues to ensure that program outcomes reflect community needs, values and priorities.