Monthly SR520 Update Meeting Tomorrow

Tomorrow at 5:30pm, WSDOT is holding its monthly SR520 update meeting at the Grahams Visitors Center in the Arboretum. The public is invited to drop in any time during the hour to talk with engineers about the progress of the West Approach Bridge North project. 

If neighbors are not able to attend, questions can be sent to to SR520Bridge@wsdot.wa.gov. Stacey Howery, with SR520 Communications, recently sent out this letter: Dear Medina City Council Committee of the Whole and interested neighbors, We wanted to provide a brief update on our recent coordination with Mageba. As noted in the Dec. 21 email update, Mageba was originally planning to send a proposal in late December or early January. Mageba’s proposal has been delayed, but on Wednesday, Jan. 18, we received a brief update from Mageba. The update from Mageba did not include all the information that we had hoped for, but it did include photos of the Robo®Foam installation in Japan and photos of the materials they are currently testing. This information is attached for your reference. As you will note in the attached, the latest update is that Mageba intends to share a commercial proposal and timelines for a potential on-site project in the next couple of weeks. Once we receive the proposal and timelines, we will share the information with this group. While the Committee of the Whole (COW) will have the opportunity to review the materials for this proposed option, WSDOT’s technical staff, along with program and executive leadership, will conduct internal reviews on the feasibility of this proposal. As part of this process, WSDOT will discuss cost, safety, maintainability and contract considerations, and assess potential impacts to the travelling public to evaluate if this test project is financially and technically viable. Assuming we receive the proposal and timelines from Mageba in early February, we expect to be ready in late February to schedule the next Tech Team and COW meetings. We will continue to keep you updated on our coordination with Mageba and confirm whether it is realistic to host the COW and Tech Team meetings in late February. The Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) said about the letter: This report is a good faith effort from WSDOT on a fix for the noisy joints. However,  the noise, longevity and the effectiveness are still out there for installing or retrofitting a permanent solution.  The report on their progress is a signal that they have not forgotten about the issue, but the fix for the noise may be more complicated than the lighting problem which some solutions are currently being tested for efficacy. The Laurelhurst Blog has posted about various issues and complaints from the community, including lighting and noise from the expansion joints. .

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How to stay informed during WABN construction:

• Call the 24-hour construction hotline (206-708-4657) with pressing questions or concerns.
• Email WABN staff with your questions about the project or construction activities.
• Join us for our monthly meetings on the first Wednesday of each month from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Graham Visitors Center.
• Visit the SR 520 Orange Page for the most up-to-date information on closures and construction impacts.
• Visit the WABN project website to find general information about the project.
• Follow us on Twitter @wsdot_520 to get key news and updates about the SR 520 program.