In This Issue

	Rahn and Iwasaki Announce Plans to Resign
	UDOT Kicks off New I-15 Widening
	Alaskan Way Viaduct Project in Full Swing this Year
	Kansas Panel Endorses Transportation Plan
	Washington Gov. Signs $8.5B Transportation Budget
	35W Bridge Contractor Settles Suit with State
	$3 Toll Set for New Expressway Interchange

Rahn and Iwasaki Announce Plans to Resign

The heads of Missouri and California transportation departments have announced their resignations to pursue other job opportunities. Pete Rahn, who has served as Director of the Missouri Department of Transportation since September 2004, accepted a position as Senior Vice President with HNTB, an engineering firm based out of Kansas City. Rahn’s resignation will be effective April 23, 2010.

California’s Department of Transportation Director, Randall Iwasaki, announced last week that he is leaving the agency to be executive director of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority near San Francisco. Iwasaki worked for Caltrans for 26 years, and has served as director since last August, replacing former director Will Kempton. Kempton also left the agency for a county authority, for the position of chief executive for the Orange County Transportation Authority.

Both Randy and Pete have given countless hours of service to our industry as they have led their respective agencies and participated in so many other initiatives. They have been unselfish in their contributions. We wish them well and know we’ll cross paths in the future. TW

UDOT Kicks off New I-15 Widening

Utah - Transportation officials in Utah this week began construction on the I-15 Corridor Expansion (I-15 CORE) project, which at a total project cost of $1.7 billion is the largest construction project in the state’s history. The project will restore and expand a 24-mile stretch of I-15 from Lehi to Spanish Fork. Provo River Constructors, a 31-company consortium led by Fluor Enterprises including Ames Construction, Ralph Wadsworth and Wadsworth Brothers has a $1.1 billion contract and plans to complete construction portion of the work by December 2012.

In addition to adding two lanes in each direction from Lehi to Spanish Fork, the project will rebuild and reconfigure 10 freeway interchanges and replace or restore 55 bridges and extend the express lanes to Spanish Fork.

Provo River Constructors will employ 600 people on the project by mid-summer, according to project manager Tuhr Barnes, and will employ about 1,500 by summer 2011. Delays and inconvenience to commuters will be minimized by around-the-clock work, and the project will be completed more quickly than most billion-dollar projects, which often take four to five years, Barnes said.

Alaskan Way Viaduct Project in Full Swing this Year

The long-awaited and long-delayed Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement plans have seven major projects scheduled for this year, and Seattle residents will finally see the first signs of the replacement taking shape. Scheduled between July and December, the seven projects are part of plans to replace the south end of the quake-damaged viaduct, the elevated mile between South King and South Holgate streets. By the end of the year, the southern mile will be replaced by a new side-by-side road that could connect to a future replacement to the central waterfront section of the viaduct.

The projects scheduled for this year include construction of a new city street, named the East Frontage Road, to be used as a detour late in the project during closures of Alaskan Way South, construction of new bicycle paths and beginning construction of the new Highway 99 southbound lanes. The two side-by-side, three lane roadways will be opened for bids April 14, and will cost an estimated $125 million to $175 million.

The south-end project, totaling $483 million, represent 40 percent of the overall replacement of the viaduct, which was damaged the Nisqually Earthquake in 2001. The old south-end portion of the viaduct, located near the sports stadiums, will be torn down in 2012. The state hopes to complete the south-end of the viaduct replacement complete by 2014.

Kansas Panel Endorses Transportation Plan

TOPEKA, Kan. – A Senate committee approved a proposal for an $8.2 billion transportation program in Kansas Tuesday, a sign that some lawmakers may still be committed to funding new highway projects despite state budget woes. The measure would raise the state sales tax from 5.3 to 5.6 percent and hike most vehicle registration fees to $20 by 2014. Those increases, as well as the authorization of $1.7 billion in bonds would be used to pay for transportation projects over the next decade.

The Senate will now debate the measure with the Transportation Committee's approval; Senate President Steve Morris said the time for the bill's discussion remains unknown, but promised it would be discussed, saying, "We'll run it."

Some lawmakers question the necessity of such a bill when the state is facing a $467 million budget shortfall for the fiscal year beginning July 1. Supporters of the new transportation program, which would replace the last 10-year, $13 billion program that ended last summer, say the plan would stimulate the economy by creating high-paying construction jobs.

Washington Gov. Signs $8.5B Transportation Budget

BELLEVUE – Gov. Chris Gregoire has signed into law an updated $8.5 billion state transportation budget and a number of bills to move forward on the 520 bridge replacement project. Lawmakers say the supplemental budget plan signed Tuesday will bankroll thousands of construction jobs, and contains about $1 billion more than last year's biennial budget.

Gregoire said the laws signed will ensure the 520 bridge will be opened on time in 2014 by allowing the state to proceed with additional work on the replacement project. Under the new law, bonds backed by 520 toll revenue can now be used for any portion of the project, not just the floating bridge. The new law also directs that $200 million be set aside to help fund improvements on the westside of the 520 bridge project and creates workgroups to improve transit connections.

"With this $8.5 billion plan, we're building on the momentum of last year's budget, which was already a record level of investment," said Rep. July Clibborn (D-Mercer Island), chair of the House Transportation Committee.

35W Bridge Contractor Settles Suit with State

A court battle over the I-35W bridge collapse was settled this week, with Minnesota's chief consultant agreeing to pay the state $5 million and avoiding a trial which may have determined who was to blame for the tragedy that killed 13 people and injured 145. The state sued URS eight months ago, claiming the company failed in its duty to inspect and evaluate the bridge. URS Corp. and its insurers, agreed to pay the state $5 million in the agreement, which frees the contractor from any future state claims from the 2007 collapse in downtown Minneapolis. Neither the state nor URS admitted any fault or liability in the settlement.

"There's a close relationship between the state and URS, and [the state] didn't want to sue them to start with," said Kyle Hart, an attorney for Progressive Contractors Inc. (PCI), whose workers were repaving the bridge when it collapsed and settled an earlier lawsuit.

MnDOT spokesman Kevin Gutknecht said, "We are satisfied with the settlement and pleased we were able to reach it. Litigation is costly and time-consuming." The settlement is far short of the $37 million the state paid victims from a special compensation fund. The $5 million settlement is awaiting approval by Hennepin County District Judge Deborah Hedlund, and all or part of the sum may be used to build a permanent memorial for the victims.

$3 Toll Set for New Expressway Interchange

N.J. – Despite strong public opposition, the South Jersey Transportation Authority has decided to move forward with plans to charge $3 tolls at the new EZ Pass-only Interchange 17, following three public hearings on the issue. The new interchange is located near the Egg Harbor Toll Plaza, and will allow drivers to access the Atlantic City Expressway in all directions from Highway 50.

Cars heading to or exiting from Atlantic City will pay $3, and frequent E-Z Pass users will pay $1.92, by making 30 or more trips in 35 days.

SJTA spokeswoman Sharon Gordon said the toll at the interchange, expected to be open by early June, is necessary so drivers do not try to bypass the Egg Harbor Toll Plaza. There is currently no toll for motorists entering the Atlantic Expressway’s westbound lanes from Route 50 in Egg Harbor City because they reach the Egg Harbor Toll Plaza almost immediately. The new toll booth is for those entering the eastbound lanes from Route 50 and those exiting the westbound lanes onto Route 50.

A recent traffic study warned the SJTA that it would lose revenue at the Egg Harbor Toll Plaza if a similar toll were not in place at the new interchange. Gordon said that bond holders need to be assured they will not lose money on the $8 million project. The SJTA is asking local drivers and officials to be patient, because the Egg Harbor Toll Plaza may not be there forever. “We are about to upgrade and change all of our electronic toll collection systems which means when that I completed, we will probably be doing away with the Egg Harbor Plaza,” Gordon added.