WSDOT Stimulus News of the Week

WSDOT advertised a Spokane area highway project using surplus funds from low bids on stimulus projects. Contractors broke ground on the I-5 HOV lane expansion in Pierce County as construction began on the state’s largest Recovery Act highway project to date. Prime contractors for state highway Recovery Act projects have exceeded the goals for Disadvantaged Business Enterprise participation to date and three projects have been awarded to DBEs as prime contractors. WSDOT applied for a Recovery Act-funded energy grant and is preparing grant applications for high speed passenger rail projects.

This week by the numbers (project dollars in millions)

Key issues: State

Second state Tier Two project advertised on August 17 – WSDOT advertised the second state highway project that is financed by surplus Recovery Act funds made available by low bids on earlier Recovery Act projects. The US 195/Hatch Rd to Jct I-90 Dowel Bar Retrofit in Spokane was on the so-called Tier Two list of projects approved by the State Legislature for construction if additional stimulus money became available.



Clark County I-5 interchange project awarded on August 14 – WSDOT awarded a $15.8 million contract for rebuilding the I-5/SR 501 Ridgefield interchange on August 14 at 26% below the engineer’s estimate of $21.5 million.

• The project received $10 million in stimulus funds.


• The project advertisement attracted 12 bidders.

Minority and women’s businesses are participating in Recovery Act contracts – The WSDOT Office of Equal Opportunity has identified opportunities for Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) to participate in Recovery Act projects.

o Based on the type of project and local availability of DBE contractors, WSDOT set DBE participation goals for 24 of 27 WSDOT Recovery Act contracts as a condition of award. WSDOT determined that three projects could not sustain DBE participation goals.

• The average DBE participation goal (amount of work to be subcontracted to DBEs) on the projects was 5.9% and the average commitment by prime contractors was 6.6%. Prime contractors have committed to DBE utilization exceeding the goals by a combined 0.7%.


• The DBE participation goals for Recovery Act projects awarded to date have been below the WSDOT goal of 15.5% because many of the awarded Recovery Act projects have not required as much subcontracting work as is typical of more complex WSDOT contracts.


• Three contracts have been awarded to DBEs participating as prime contractors.


• On August 5, WSDOT presented information about upcoming Recovery Act opportunities and other issues at the Puget Sound Minority Contractors’ Forum.

I-5 Tacoma HOV project now under way – On August 14, Bellevue-based Tri-State Construction Inc. broke ground on a project that will build the first HOV lanes in Pierce County. The project will extend the existing I-5 HOV lanes about three miles in each direction from the King County line to Port of Tacoma Road.

• The project includes more than $35 million in Recovery Act funds.

WSDOT to submit applications for high speed passenger rail funds – Washington will submit Track 1 applications requesting a portion of the $8 billion in Recovery Act funds available for high speed passenger rail projects nationwide by August 24. Track 1 applications are for projects that can be completed within two years of federal funding obligation. Track 2 applications are for corridor projects that can be completed by 2017 and are due on October 2.

• WSDOT is proposing 20 projects totaling $435 million in Track 1. The projects identified will reduce congestion and travel times, increase rail capacity and travel speeds, eliminate bottlenecks, and improve stations.


• WSDOT will apply in October for Track 2 funding for additional projects that will provide substantial upgrades to existing services.


• States registered to receive $103 billion nationwide under a pre-application process, nearly 13 times the $8 billion available,


• A map of proposed projects is available at the high speed passenger rail webpage.

WSDOT applied for a Recovery Act energy grant – WSDOT applied for a $1.85 million Recovery Act energy grant to assist Statewide Strategies to Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled. The strategies include programs designed to reduce annual fuel consumption and to better measure greenhouse gas emissions. The Washington State Department of Commerce is administering the grant through the State Energy Program and will award grants ranging from $250,000 to $2 million. WSDOT applied for funds to support three sustainable programs:

• The Growth and Transportation Efficiency Center Program partners with employers, residents, and students in growing cities to conserve energy and reduce vehicle miles traveled.


• The Statewide Telework Program helps employers both create and operate telework programs


• The Emissions Inventory Tool will help WSDOT track agency-wide greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption at specific telework sites. The tool would help WSDOT determine the effectiveness of in the agency’s energy efficiency efforts and provide models for telework and emissions reporting for other state agencies to implement.

Nine Washington shipyards received Recovery Act grants - The Maritime Administration announced 70 grants totaing $98 million on August 18. $6.6 million was awarded to nine Washington shipyards for improvement projects and training programs. The stimulus funds provide up to 75% of the cost for capital improvements and other upgrades.

• The Washington grants went to shipyards in Bellingham, Everett, Freeland, Port Angeles, Port Orchard, and four shipyards in Seattle. Transit grants awarded to Pierce, Skagit Counties – Washington transit agencies received grant awards for $1.8 million in projects.

• Pierce County Public Works Department received $1.3 million to rehabilitate the ferry and ferry terminals.


• Skagit County Transit system received nearly $500,000 to construct South Mount Vernon and March’s Point park and ride lots.


• Transit agencies are receiving $179 million in Recovery Act funds statewide.

Five more highway projects awarded

State project

• I-5/SR 501 Ridgefield Interchange – Rebuild Interchange

Local projects

• Boblett Street


• Castle Rock – Riverfront Trail Restoration


• Wahkiakum County – Ferry Terminal 


• Cheney – Spangle Road Improvement

Key issues: National

New federal stimulus reporting web site registration began on August 17 – The new webpage for submitting federal stimulus accountability reports to the White House Office of Management and Budget began accepting registrations on August 17.

• States will submit the first quarterly accountability report through the website on October 10.


• Data submitted on the website will be available to the public starting October 30 on the main federal Recovery Act website: http://www.recovery.gov/.

Recovery Act highway projects under construction nationwide –3,248 stimulus projects costing $9.5 billion are under construction in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and on federal lands, the FHWA reported on its website. The FHWA has obligated  $17.5 billion of $26.8 billion (65%) to 6,626 projects.

Stimulus project of the week

Three stimulus projects completed in north central Washington



ARRA project in central Washington keeps workers closer to home



Shar Elton is operating the roller for Granite Northwest on the SR 17 project near Moses Lake this summer.A central Washington project, funded in part through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), reached a milestone as crews began paving eight miles of SR 17 from the Grant County Airport in Moses Lake to the junction with SR 282. From there, crews will pave all five miles of SR 282 to the junction with SR 28 in downtown Ephrata. Crews also built more than four miles of passing lanes as part of this combined project. Two 12-foot-wide passing lanes have been added on SR 17 between the Grant County Airport and Rocky Ford Creek. All work should be complete by October.



WSDOT Project Engineer Eric Pierson said, "Without the ARRA funding, we only had the budget to build the passing lanes, but being able to pave the entire road surface dramatically improves the project for safety, smoothness, mobility and freight movement, as well as preservation." The $6.2 million project which supports some 75 jobs, came in 22 percent below the engineering estimate. "This is a result of the efficiencies that came from combining the widening projects with the two stimulus pavers," said Pierson.



Randy Manry, Granite Northwest’s General Manager for central Washington, said most of his people were working for him already, but without this stimulus project, "Most would have been shipped around the state to work on other projects, away from home. The rest wouldn’t have had a job at all."



Shar Elton, a Colville Tribal member from Omak was operating the roller the first day of paving on SR 17. This is her second stimulus job this year. The first one was a local project in Omak. She has done flagging in the past but did not have any work lined up prior to Granite Northwest hiring her this summer, "I’m just grateful to be working!"





Important dates



August 20: Next congressional report is due

August 24: Deadline for Track 1 High-Speed Passenger Rail grant applications

August 31: Next status report to the Legislature is due

September 15: Deadline for $1.5 billion TIGER discretionary grant applications

September 30: National Fish Passage Program habitat restoration grant applications are due

October 2: Applications for Track 2 FRA High-Speed Passenger Rail grants are due

October 10: WSDOT submits first new federal OMB quarterly performance report



Websites of interest

WSDOT ARRA website: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/funding/stimulus

Washington recovery website: http://www.recovery.wa.gov/

Federal recovery website: http://www.recovery.gov/

FHWA recovery website: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/economicrecovery/index.htm

Federal Transit Administration recovery website: www.fta.dot.gov/recovery

Federal Rail Administration recovery website: www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/2153

Federal Aviation Administration recovery website: http://www.faa.gov/recovery

OMB recovery website: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/recovery_default/

Highway projects advertised or planned for advertisement soon