I’ve seen the headlines saying that we avoided “Carmageddon” and we did. Our agency and the media worked hard to get the message out and we were successful, but the reality is that we could not have done it without you. Highway traffic significantly decreased across Seattle and the Eastside – at times up to 60 percent. The result: We saw minimal backups and reasonable travel times. It’s clear you understand how important preserving our infrastructure is, and when asked, you do your part to help keep people moving when a big project that creates the potential for big traffic impacts.

When you think of transportation, it means different things to different people. Some might think about cars with families tucked safely inside, semi-trucks on a long-distance haul, buses packed with commuters, ferry riders crossing Puget Sound, folks on foot in the neighborhood and even Lycra clad cyclists peddling away. Regardless, we must invest in our system to preserve what we have. Sometimes this means making a change to how or when we travel.

Changing how we do things is a challenge and delays because of road construction and maintenance can be frustrating. We communicate early to get the word out and we use social media to let you know about unplanned things like emergencies or accidents so that you ‘know before you go’ and while these projects can be frustrating, they are planned with you – the user- in mind.

Last week, everyone noticed the choices drivers made to keep traffic moving while hard working contractor crews replaced expansion joints on westbound Interstate 90 between Bellevue and Mercer Island. People changed the way they traveled for seven days, and those choices to telecommute, bike, carpool, take transit and go on vacation paid off in a big way.

Many of our roads were built decades ago, and have critical pieces that wear out over time. The signs of wear and tear can be found along many major routes around the state. Bumpy rides, potholes and cracking pavement are signs the roadway is aging. Without further action, the deterioration will only get worse, and cost more to fix in the future.

State of the concrete on I-5 in the University District.

The recent lane closures on I-90 were painful, but in the end it was necessary to keep the corridor open and safe for drivers. An unplanned closure for emergency repairs would have not just affected commuters, but also the economy.

Sparks fly during expansion joint plate repairs. MT @King5unit9 It's quite the spark show on SB I-5 pic.twitter.com/rhyzdB9N5I
— Washington State DOT (@wsdot) May 29, 2014

In keeping with the Results WSDOT Strategic Plan, we’re looking for ways to invest in our system to keep people and industry moving during the busiest times. Maximizing the limited funding we have available, we’re using a triage approach to fix the worst of the worst by replacing broken and cracked concrete panels or grinding the surface to remove ruts. This has been used on I-5 and 405 with great success. And this month, we’ll begin a project to do the same on a worn stretch of State Route 99 near Seattle’s SODO District. These methods only buy us another 10 years, and it’s imperative that funding becomes available so we can keep people moving safely for decades to come.

These projects are designed with your safety in mind, and I want to thank you for your understanding and patience as we move forward in building a safe and sustainable transportation system for years to come. We can’t do this important work without you.
Thank you,

-Lynn

By Noel Brady

Our fleet of trucks and ferries recently realized a seven-digit milestone on the road to sustainability. For the first time, the agency’s fuel purchases in 2013 included more than 1 million gallons of biodiesel for ferries and mid-to-large-size trucks and equipment.

That means a net savings of more than 1 million gallons of regular diesel, including 687,741 gallons used for ferries and 318,775 purchased by the land fleet to fuel work trucks and other heavy equipment. It’s big news for Washington, where transportation ranks the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. And it’s the latest green thumbs up for WSDOT’s award-winning fleet.


According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (pdf 753 kb), substituting biodiesel, which is derived from vegetable oils and animal fat-based oils, for petroleum-based diesel can reduce smog-forming emissions from particulate matter by 10 percent, hydrocarbons by 21 percent and carbon monoxide by 11 percent for highway vehicles. Hydrocarbons are greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

WSF’s fleet of vessels each use up to 5 percent biodiesel. Soon WFS will launch a pilot project to study the feasibility of using up to 10 percent biodiesel to fuel ferries.

Increasing the use of biofuels, such as biodiesel, is a widely accepted strategy for slowing climate change. Since biodiesel is derived from plant matter, it is not a fossil fuel, so it’s renewable. Biofuels come from plants and trees, which need CO2 to grow. Using biofuels doesn’t add as much CO2 to the atmosphere; it recycles it.

Considering these factors and others, a 2006 study published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) found that biodiesel can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 41 percent.

The benefits of biodiesel are clear, and we plan to continue
growing its use as an alternative fuel, said WSDOT Energy Policy Manager Tim Sexton. Washington State Ferries uses biodiesel made primarily from recycled canola oils. WSF is preparing for a pilot project to evaluate increasing the percentage of biodiesel it uses to fuel vessels.

Into the green fleet first

• Reduced employee travel by 2.2 million miles
• Cut fuel consumption by 10 percent or about 400,000 gallons
• Purchased plug-in hybrids, all-electric vehicles and charging stations

Source: Washington State GHGEmissions Inventory 2009-2010

By guest blogger Noel Brady

You recycle those paper cups, bottles and old documents to keep them out of the landfill. Curious to find out how much landfill space a 300-foot-long, four-lane bridge would take?

Neither was our I-405 project team. That’s why we recycled 100 percent of the NE 12th Street bridge in downtown Bellevue after crews demolished it in March to make way for a longer, wider bridge to connect new ramps to I-405 and SR 520.

After bringing down the bridge, crews hauled away nearly 4,000 tons of concrete, 225 tons of rebar and truck loads of wood to recyclers. In addition to cutting carbon emissions from production, recycling construction materials saves money.



“In the old days it would’ve been taken to a landfill”, said Seema Javeri, WSDOT Project engineer. “Now we’re recycling road and bridge materials and even going back and restoring DOT property that was used for dumping 25 years ago.”

The state does not require recycling in bridge demolition, but it is becoming the norm as the market for recycled materials grows. Today we routinely write construction specifications that make it easier to recycle materials. Plans often require concrete be laid in panels for efficient removal and recycling, and they allow a higher percentage of recycled materials in cement than was the standard in the past.

“It’s one thing to recycle material,” said Steve Mader, an environmental manager for I-405 Corridor Design-Builders, “but it’s better to upcycle” or preserve materials during demolition to keep them in good condition for reuse. His firm routinely crumbles concrete on site for use as base rock. And his crews take care not to twist and mangle used rebar, which can increase its market value as much as five times.

Starting back in the 2002 with its Record of Decision, the I-405 program has followed a guiding principle to leave the environment better then it was found, Javeri said. That means building better drainage and filtration systems, planting more vegetation and recycling more materials.

Visit the Sustainable Transportation Web page to learn how we support the environment, economy and communities in our mission to keep Washington moving.