Latest news with #WashingtonDepartmentofTransportation
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
6-year-old pedestrian hit by car, Seattle police investigate
SEATTLE - Police in Seattle are investigating a crash site south of the Cherry Hill area after a 6-year-old girl was struck by an SUV. Timeline The young girl was walking in the crosswalk with her mother when she was struck by the vehicle. Seattle Fire transported her to the hospital with what they believed to be critical injuries. The girl was reportedly thrown into the air by the force of the SUV at Rainier Avenue South and South Charles Street just before noon. The driver cooperated with police and had no signs of impairment. She was not arrested. Upon following up with the girl in the hospital, investigators learned the girl had no broken bones or other significant injuries. Law enforcement warned drivers in the area of traffic backups while the area was closed for investigation. The Source Information in this story came from the Seattle Police Department and Washington Department of Transportation. Homicide investigation underway after 5-year-old dies in Federal Way, WA Major 5-day SR 18 closure at I-90 in Snoqualmie, WA Alaska man pinned by 700-pound boulder for 3 hours walks away unharmed Why hasn't anyone been charged in Seattle clash arrests? What we know Mandatory driver's education to expand under new Washington law To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Beloved Mount Rainier hiking, camping destinations to close for years
This story was initially published on Many popular hiking trails and camping sites in Mount Rainier National Park were unusually quiet over Memorial Day weekend due to the long-term closure of the Carbon River Fairfax Bridge, which is expected to remain closed for several years. You won't be able to get to Mowich Lake and the other fun spots south of the Carbon River Canyon until at least 2031. That's the estimate from the Washington Department of Transportation's Cara Mitchell. 'It's looking like a six-year process with the environmental permitting, tearing down the existing bridge, and getting the design in place and rebuilding,' Mitchell said. 'It's a long time frame. It's not an easy task.' That's why WSDOT has accelerated the process, just a month after the 103-year-old bridge was closed due to damage discovered in its steel supports. The agency is preparing to launch an online open house and host two public forums to discuss next steps. WSDOT has since presented three basic options for the public to consider. 'There's a no-build option, which is a permanent road closure. There's a bridge replacement in the same vicinity, and then rerouting State Route 165 on a new alignment to either the east or the west of the canyon,' Mitchell said. The state is relying on this public feedback, especially from the local community, to guide the ultimate decision. 'We know that this is this has been a challenge for the communities,' Mitchell said. 'It's a challenge for anybody who has enjoyed the wilderness back there. And we're working as fast as we can to get the planning study up and running.' WSDOT hopes to have the initial work completed quickly. However, even with $ 9 billion in new taxes just passed by the legislature and the governor, there is no money earmarked for this project. 'We don't have funding to rebuild the bridge, to replace the bridge, to repair the bridge, or to even take it down at this point,' Mitchell said. WSDOT blames this closure on the legislature's long history of deferring maintenance on this bridge, citing its spending priorities. There is a nine-mile, one-lane emergency detour into the area south of the bridge, but it is only for locals.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Traffic restricted on Vantage Bridge throughout June
May 23—VANTAGE — It turns out the Vantage Bridge will be reduced to one lane on weekdays in June after all. As most cross-state travelers already know, one lane in each direction on the bridge is closed most of the time during construction season as it undergoes a major, multi-year overhaul. Information from the Washington Department of Transportation indicated that both lanes of the bridge in each direction would be open throughout June. Megan Lott, communications manager for the WSDOT south central region, said there was some misunderstanding though, and the bridge will be closed on weekdays in June. "Our mistake," Lott said. All four lanes of the bridge will be open Memorial Day weekend and during the week after, from May 23 through June 1. After that, traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction Monday through Friday throughout the month of June. All lanes will be open on weekends. Two lanes will be open in each direction over the July 4 weekend, July 3 through 8. But after July 8 the construction schedule shifts, Lott said, and one lane in each direction will be closed through the end of the construction season in November. The exception will be Labor Day weekend, Aug. 28 through Sept. 2, when both lanes will be open in each direction. The Vantage Bridge was one of the first projects to start in the spring, along with an extensive paving project on 2.2 miles of Westshore Drive. To date, construction crews have removed the old roadbed, rebuilt it, poured gutters and added a base layer for sidewalks. The sidewalks are being poured now. "There are no delays; the project is on schedule," said interim Grant County Engineer Dave Bren. The contractor has 70 working days to finish, Bren said, with a completion date of mid-July. Fewer DOT road projects are scheduled in Grant and Adams counties in 2025 than was the case in 2024, but there are some planned later in the summer. Sebastian Moraga, communications consultant for the DOT north central region, said two sections of Interstate 90 are scheduled for repaving, with the start date right in the middle of summer. That means the project might not be finished in one construction season — some sections may have to wait until 2026. "It is not scheduled to start until mid-July at the earliest," Moraga wrote in response to an email from the Columbia Basin Herald. Paving is scheduled for the Vantage Bridge to George, then from Dodson Road to Mae Valley. Crews will be shaving down the original surface and repaving, fixing cracks, adding signage and lane markings. Drivers on I-90 may experience delays while the crews are working. There might be some short-term ramp closures, so getting on and off I-90 in the project area might mean taking an alternate route. A project to improve a section of Schoonover Road about eight miles west of Ritzville is scheduled to start in June. A new roundabout is scheduled for State Route 26 and its intersection with South First Avenue in Othello. Moraga said construction is scheduled to begin in early August, lasting two to three months.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
Four full closures for SR 529 coming in May
This story was originally published on Heads up, Marysville and Everett. State Route 529 (SR 529) is not going to be a reliable way to make that connection in May. Four full highway closures are on next month's schedule, starting this weekend. The northbound Steamboat Slough bridge is 98 years old. The southbound bridge is more than 70 years old. It's time to get inside them and fix the guts. 'They've both been around a long time, and they both need to get this work done to make sure that they can continue to function,' Tom Pearce, a communications specialist with the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT), said. Unlike previous weekend closures, these closures will last four days each, from Friday night through Tuesday night. 'The work that our contractor is doing requires four days,' Pearce said. 'They need to get into the bridge and do some mechanical work on the locking mechanism and make sure that everything else is working fine. It just takes time to complete all that work.' You might not realize it, but maritime traffic relies on this bridge opening. 'These bridges only open about 30 times a year, but federal law does require us to maintain them,' Pearce said. 'If marine traffic wants to go through, marine traffic actually has the right of way in this area.' The first two four-day closures begin at 11 p.m. Friday night. This will be a closure of the northbound span. Southbound will remain open. The closure will last until 11 p.m. Tuesday. Northbound drivers will still be able to access Smith Island via 28th Place NE. 'During the first two weekends, people will be able to go northbound onto Smith Island on SR 529, but they'll have to take southbound to leave the island,' Pearce added. The first two closures will be northbound. This weekend and next weekend. The southbound closures are scheduled for the third and fifth weekends of the month. There will be no work or closures over the Memorial Day weekend. Approximately 19,000 vehicles use the Steamboat Bridge each day. I-5 is the primary alternate. Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here. Follow KIRO Newsradio traffic on X.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Yahoo
WSDOT shuts down 103-year-old bridge in Tacoma, WA
The Brief Transportation authorities have shut down a Tacoma bridge. Fairfax bridge is 103 years old and showing concerning signs of wear. WSDOT has not set a definite reopening date. TACOMA, Wash. - The century-old Carbon River Fairfax bridge in Tacoma is shutting down due to concerns over structural integrity. WSDOT announced on Monday that they are shutting down all pedestrian and vehicle access to the bridge. The backstory Previously, the bridge had lane restrictions and a stop on EMS vehicles from using it for their responses. Built in 1921, the bridge exceeds the usually-expected 75-year service life of bridges in Washington. Dig deeper The average age of state-owned bridges is 51 years. "There is no funding available to replace the bridge at this point. Years of deferred preservation work due to limited preservation funding resulted in the updated weight restrictions and now the indefinite closure," says a representative with WSDOT on their website. The Source Information for this article comes from the Washington Department of Transportation in Tacoma. Drunken night caught on bodycam costs Mercer Island cop his rank FEMA denies $34M in funds for WA bomb cyclone relief, gives no explanation 1997 WA cold case victim identified; Gary Ridgway not ruled out 2 charged in brutal Burien kidnapping, attempted murder Watch: Coyote gets 'booped' by its potential rodent dinner Red Robin launching Bottomless Burger Pass for National Burger Month To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national coverage, plus 24/7 streaming coverage from across the nation.
