by Bart Treece

by Mike Allende

Concrete sealing part of the new expansion joint

The concrete needs about 12 hours to cure but workers will be monitoring it this afternoon. The concrete needs to reach a strength of 2,500 psi (pounds per square inch) for traffic to go over it. Whenever that happens, we’ll be switching the work zone to the other side of the highway to work on the other half of the joints. That is scheduled to happen around 9 p.m. Monday morning drivers will see traffic moving through the work zone in the Phase 2 configuration.

Phase 2 - Monday - Friday morning

Even though the Blue Angels are not flying over Seattle this year, there will still be closures of the Interstate 90 floating bridge while the Patriots Jet Team takes to the skies.

Similar to when the Blue Angels practiced and performed for Seafair, the I-90 floating bridge will still close to drivers, cyclists and walkers. The Federal Aviation Administration requires a Safety Zone for the area below the performance. We call it “The Box,” but really it’s more like a few rectangles crossing over each other. The northern part of the box covers the I-90 floating bridges, which is why they are closed during performances by both the Blue Angels and the Patriots Jet Team.

Courtesy: Patriots Jet Team

Traffic
Some minor changes from years past, the closures on I-90 will take less time, and there is no Thursday practice, therefore, no Thursday closure.

Here’s the schedule:
• Friday, Aug. 2:  1:15 p.m. - 2:40 p.m. (Practice)
• Saturday, Aug. 3:  1:15 p.m. - 2:40 p.m. (Full show)
• Sunday, Aug. 4:  1:15 p.m. - 2:40 p.m. (Full show)

Additionally, several ramps will be closed at that time. The I-90 express lanes will also be closed from 12:30 to 3 p.m. each day, but are available in the event of a medical emergency that requires a trip to the hospital. Just call 911.

SR 520
The State Route 520 bridge will remain open for traffic and tolls will be collected according to the rate schedule. Good news for drivers, the bridge will not open for any boats during Patriots Jet Team flights. The bridge will be busy. If you need to take a cross-lake trip while the Patriots are in the air, just plan ahead. Outside of those times during Seafair weekend, the east navigation channel will be open to boats up to 59 feet, which should reduce the number of marine openings.
Whether you’re heading out to enjoy Seafair festivities, or just plain going somewhere else, remember to plan ahead and know before you go.

Our traffic cameras have kind of been hot news in recent months. We’ve brought many new cameras online along I-5 in Tacoma and Everett, and announced many more will go live later this year near Bellingham. While it’s exciting news in many respects, we’ve also received a fair amount of criticism.

People wonder where we’re getting the money for all these cameras, and want to know how we can justify spending it this way during such hard economic times.

The most basic and simple response to part about where the money comes from is that there are state and federal gas taxes that generate revenue every day specifically for transportation improvements. But that’s probably not answer you’re looking for. The real story is a little more complicated.

If we step back for a moment and take a big-picture look at our highway improvements, we have to realize that we can’t build our way out of congestion. It’s just not financially feasible on a number of fronts. It’s unaffordable from a real estate perspective, environmental perspective, construction perspective, and even a long-term maintenance perspective - especially when our budget is declining just like everyone else’s.

Knowing that we can’t afford to build our way out of congestion, we have to ask ourselves, “What can we do to make better use of the existing roads and lanes we already have?” One of the strategies we believe that has some serious merit is making better use of information technology. That’s where the cameras come in.

These cameras are vital to us, to the State Patrol troopers who respond to collisions, and to the traffic reporters who report what’s happening on the roads every day.

They give our maintenance crews, fire departments and law enforcement personnel the tools they need to respond to incidents as quickly and efficiently as possible. We can better coordinate our response and get the roadway open faster.

The cameras also keep drivers informed so they can avoid delays. Drivers can check the cameras and travel times to get a much clearer picture of how I-5 is looking before they leave their homes or offices.

Traffic cameras are just the tip of the iceberg, too. They’re part of a much greater, more expansive network and plan to bring better, more reliable travel information to drivers.

Yes, the traffic technology is expensive, but it costs a mere fraction of what we would spend to try and build our way out of congestion. Traffic cameras are just one way we’re using our existing highway infrastructure more effectively and efficiently.

When John from the Ravenna neighborhood e-mails me at 2 a.m. saying pavement grinding work on I-5 in Seattle sounds like “airplanes landing in [his] neighbor’s backyard,” I decide to check out the noise myself. I don’t see any crash-landing Boeing jets, but it sure does sound like it.



To get a good idea of how loud it is, listen to this video with your headphones on. I shot this video at midnight 200 feet from I-5 near John’s house at NE 72nd Street.

Seattle got a direct hit of winter weather just as the commute was getting going this morning. All routes into Seattle are congested. People are getting out of their vehicles on 520 and driving backwards to get off the freeway.

Those coming in from Federal Way may have had no idea things were this bad in the metro area - they just didn't see this weather when they left home. Vancouver is also getting its first taste of winter in the metro area.

Our Web site also hit a million page views by 7 a.m. this morning - this could cause some slowdowns for users. If this continues we will switch to a more basic site.

Most of Eastern Washington is compact snow and ice. Those taking this day off to go skiing - be ready for snow and ice.

Here's some tips if you have to go into the Seattle metro area today:

• Do not drive against traffic on the freeway.
• Do not abandon your vehicle because we can't clear the road if you aren't there to move your car.
• Please check your entire route before you leave.