Nighttime lane closures next week near the Mark Clark Bridge
Crews continue to drill shafts for the new Mark Clark Bridge. Drivers will notice equipment and cranes on both ends of the bridge. Crews will close one lane at night near the bridge to continue site preparation work. Flaggers will direct traffic through the work zone.
· Monday, Aug. 31 through Friday morning, Sept. 4 - Crews will close one lane of SR 532 from 270th St NW to the Davis Slough from 8:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. for construction near the Mark Clark Bridge. Please watch for crews working near the road and expect minor delays.
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by Vickie Sheehan, WSDOT
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced today that the long awaited second daily Amtrak Cascades train between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. will begin service on Wednesday, August 19, 2009.
The Canadian government approved the second train service on July 3 as a pilot project to start as soon as August 1 until after the 2010 Olympic and Paralympics Winter Games. WSDOT worked with Amtrak, BNSF Railway, U.S. Customs, and other stakeholders to get the additional Amtrak Cascades service operational as soon as possible.
With the addition of this second train service, travelers from Oregon will now have direct round-trip service between Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, B.C.
“Amtrak typically needs 90 days to start up service, so getting the second roundtrip train to B.C. going so quickly is a major accomplishment for everyone involved,” said Paula Hammond, Washington Transportation Secretary. “The August launch of the new service will give us a chance to encourage travelers to take advantage of this new service.”
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by Bruce Agnew
View the initial high-speed rail outline from President Obama and Transportation Secretary LaHood (Note: Details for grant programs are scheduled to be submitted to Congress next month.)
SMART on Board for Rail Week
John Nemeth, Rail Planning Manager for the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District (SMART) , will be participating in several Cascadia Rail Week events, including the May 28, public lecture at Seattle ’s City Hall and the Snohomish community forum. We have also invited the Marin Bicycle Club to participate. They will review the exciting new voter-approved (two thirds majority) 70-mile rail and trail (from Larkspur/San Rafael to Cloverdale) project that includes the use of self-propelled, energy efficient Diesel Multiple Unit trains. The entire project comes in at a remarkable $540 million.
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