By Justin Fujioka

The upstream side of the culvert was blocked using a steel plate attached to the end of an articulated crane to control the release of water and prevent a sudden flood, which could have put our crews and properties downstream of Bear Creek in danger.

A dam blocking an 80-foot-long culvert in Woodinville this week was enough to drive Ward and June Cleaver up the wall, and our maintenance crews simply couldn’t leave it to beaver.

The beaver constructed the dam in the center of the culvert that runs under SR 9, just north of SR 522, near Woodinville. No word if he received help from Whitey and Lumpy. The critter’s creation was so clever and well-built that it prevented a large amount of water from an upstream pond from getting through the culvert. This caused the water level of the pond to rise and that’s when we knew this was not just your average beaver dam. So our maintenance team went to work.

In order to safely clear the beaver dam, crews blocked the upstream side of the culvert to control the release of water to prevent a sudden flood, which could have put our crews in danger and affected properties downstream of Bear Creek. The culvert was blocked using a steel plate attached to the end of an articulated crane from a truck, which required the closure of the right lane of northbound SR 9, just north of SR 522.

On the downstream side of the culvert, crews used a grapple hook on the end of a rope attached to a chainsaw winch (basically a giant fishing rod) to grab small chucks of the beaver dam as they slowly broke down the structure.

Grapple hook used to remove small chucks of the beaver dam.

Brave and cold crewmembers walked the grapple hook into the five-foot-wide culvert and dug it into the debris. After safely walking back out of the culvert, the crew started up the chainsaw winch to pull out the grapple hook. Most of the time, it carried out nothing more than a handful of rubble.

Because the dam was estimated to have filled a fourth of the culvert, the process was like chipping away at concrete. Occasionally, the crew would lift the steel plate up to allow water to flow into the culvert with hopes that the force would clear more debris. After eight hours of hard work, the crew’s slow and meticulous approach allowed for the water to flush out the beaver dam.

A rope tied onto the grapple hook was attached to a chainsaw winch to allow our maintenance crew to move out of the culvert and into safety before small chucks of the beaver dam were removed.

Why was it necessary to remove the beaver dam? Good question. If we would have left the rodent’s dam intact it could have caused water to undermine and damage the highway above it (SR 9) and it could have created potentially damaging flooding downstream. In the past, our crews have removed or modified beaver dams near roadways, but never under one. If you’re interested in more info on when we remove beaver dams, check out this document.

So where’s the eager beaver? Hard to say. Some speculated it was hanging out with Wally and Eddie Haskell. More likely, when humans moved in, it moved on. Typically, we work closely with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to make sure animals are relocated if necessary. In this case, the beaver wasn’t spotted near its dam. Those who frequent the area say they often see a beaver, but it’s usually hanging out in the pond upstream of the culvert. Wherever it is, we salute you and your engineering prowess, Mr. Beaver, but ask that in the future, you show off your skills in less potentially-hazardous spots.

View the video of the beaver dam inside the culvert and how our crews removed it.

By guest blogger Anne Broache

If you’ve ever struggled to navigate the congested area where northbound Interstate 405 meets State Route 522 in the Bothell area, rest assured that improvements are on the way. As part of the I-405 NE 6th Street to I-5 Widening and Express Toll Lanes Project, our project crew will add a new set of ramps—called “braided ramps”—that separate traffic going from Northeast 160th Street to northbound I-405 from I-405 traffic heading to SR 522.

But before we can make this upgrade, we had to innovate to keep ramp traffic—some 13,000 vehicles daily—moving through the braided ramp construction area. To avoid repeated shutdowns of this critical on-ramp, our contractor worked this summer to build a temporary loop ramp to northbound I-405 at NE 160th Street. We’ll be able to route traffic around the construction rather than through it.

We’ll soon be ready to open that new ramp and shut down the current one.

New I-405 on-ramp at NE 160th Street opens September 8
Starting as soon as Sunday, September 8, drivers will access the on-ramp to northbound I-405 from the south side of NE 160th Street, just east of I-405 and adjacent to the northbound off-ramp from I-405.

The new entrance will be located directly across NE 160th Street from the existing on-ramp entrance, as shown in the map below.

New temporary on-ramp to I-405

The on-ramp you’re accustomed to using will remain closed until the new braided ramps open in 2015.

This temporary on-ramp has clear advantages:

• It creates a dedicated work zone for our crews. By shifting traffic off the existing on-ramp, we can give crews full access to work on the new ramps in a space without public access.
• It prevents major traffic interruptions. The temporary on-ramp will allow us to provide consistent northbound I-405 access instead of making multiple changes to the existing on-ramp as construction reaches different phases.
• It’s the neighborly thing to do. Maintaining access to I-405 around the work zone allows more construction activities to happen during daytime hours, reducing nighttime noise for neighbors.

Allow extra travel time when the new ramp opens
As with any new roadway configuration, drivers should allow extra time to navigate and approach the new on-ramp—especially in the first few weeks while drivers get used to the new arrangement. Opening the new temporary ramp depends on good weather, and we’ll be sure to update drivers if the schedule changes.  

Want more information?
Visit the project Web page: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I405/NE6thtoI5/
Sign up online to receive e-mail alerts about closures and construction activities:
www.wsdot.wa.gov/emailupdates/

Crews secure a girder section that will support the new westbound SR 522 Snohomish River Bridge.

By guest blogger
Meghan Pembroke

Widening SR 522 between the Snohomish River Bridge and US 2 in Monroe is a massive undertaking with a lot of moving parts. All along a four-mile stretch of SR 522, crews are blasting rock, building bridges, digging ponds, constructing walls and hauling out dirt to make way for two new lanes. And that’s not all. In the next year, before construction wraps up in 2014, they’ll also build a new roundabout, a noise wall and a wildlife undercrossing.

The most herculean undertaking of all is the creation of a new 1,700-foot-long Snohomish River Bridge that will carry westbound SR 522 across the river. Crews reached a major milestone last week – though daily drivers might have missed it entirely. Well below the sight of drivers on the existing highway, behemoth girders arrive daily, one by one. Crews are working steadily to piece together the new bridge, one girder at a time.

The first of 49 steel girders arrived Nov. 1, after an overland journey that began in Libby, MT, at Stinger Welding. The last leg of its journey took it up I-5 and east on US 2 to the SR 522 interchange, where it picked up a WSP escort. Each of the next 48 girders will make a similar journey to their final destination above the Snohomish River.
   
But getting the girders to the project site isn’t as simple as it seems. Once the trucks arrive at the existing bridge, crews have to get the girders down the steep embankment to the work area below the bridge. The solution: A temporary off-ramp. Crews took out a section of guardrail and on a rainy Tuesday night, built a temporary ramp from westbound SR 522 to the ground-level work area. They covered it with steel plates to keep the truck tires from sinking in and give the big semis some extra traction. Using brief overnight rolling slowdowns, the girders roll down the ramp and are unloaded before the trucks head back out on Tester Road.

Crews are using an army of cranes to set the first batch of girders this fall. Each assembled girder ranges in length from 150 to 305 feet and weighs between 30,000 and 55,000 pounds – and those are the small ones. The smaller girders will form the backbone of the eastern end of the bridge – primarily over land – on the north side of the river.

But the real action will come next spring, when the massive, river-spanning girders arrive on scene. These girders will be even longer and heavier than the girders we’re setting now. Crews will use huge steel rollers to launch the girders up, out and over the river, where crews will secure them between piers in the river.

Even though drivers might not see a difference as they pass by the project area each day, these girders are good news. It means that we’re one step closer to opening two new lanes of SR 522 by fall 2014. Crews pushed hard this summer to complete the piers during a limited in-water work window. Their efforts meant the girder setting – what’s known as “critical path work” in WSDOT lingo – could start right on schedule. 

If you’re a westbound passenger, you might be able to catch a glimpse of the new bridge coming together as you approach the Snohomish River. For the rest of you, we’ve updated our Flickr set with photos of the work.

Looking toward eastbound traffic  at the top of the new SR 522 flyover ramp

When it comes to construction projects, sometimes we’re a little biased: We like ‘em all. Once you shepherd a project through the design process and watch it come to life on the highway, you get a little attached. And we’re not ashamed to say that we’re darn proud of our work.

The real icing on the cake for us, though, is hearing positive feedback from drivers after we wrap up a construction project.

Take the new flyover ramp from eastbound SR 522 to eastbound US 2, for example. Regular commuters and residents had waited years for a faster, more direct connection to US 2 and points east, and the two year construction period probably seemed to last forever.

Just before Christmas last year, we opened the new ramp to traffic early on a Saturday morning. We knew the ramp would make a big difference to daily drivers and holiday travelers alike – and we got almost instant positive feedback:

It’s great! It has made it so much easier in the evening commute. If I have to go east, I’m not stuck at the light anymore and when I need to go west toward home, I’m not stuck behind a huge line of cars turning east and I can usually zip right through.

I have driven the new ramp three times since it opened. Much to my surprise it was easy to use and there was no traffic back up as I had feared. The landscaping is lovely.

I love the new ramp at SR522 and US2. I use it regularly and really appreciate not having to wait at the light. I can’t wait until all the rest of the work can be completed to open up the new WB lanes on US2 as well – that should help with the backups in the area. Thanks for everything you do… I recognize WSDOT has very limited resources, and I appreciate the work you do.

I think it’s great! It sure does streamline traffic flow, making eastbound access to Highway 2 seamless.

Great job on the new flyover ramp; it has definitely made our commute home quicker and easier.

We love it! When we wanted to go through Monroe it was heavenly and when we wanted to go to Fred Meyer it made that transition easier by having fewer cars in the mix!

Gotta say, really enjoy this new ramp and extra lane on EB hwy 2 in Monroe. Makes for a much more pleasant commute home from work every day.

I like it because I commute regularly through Monroe not needing to stop and this makes it a little easier.

Getting so much positive feedback really makes our day. If you’re out on the highways this spring and summer – perhaps headed to the pass for some late-season skiing or over the mountains for some time in the sun – try out the new ramp and see what you think.