Bicycle Alliance of Washington and Local Stakeholders Reach Agreement with WSDOT on Hood Canal Bridge Safety Fixes for Bicycles

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 31, 2012                                                              

Agreement paves way to begin Hood Canal Bridge bicycle safety improvements in 2012

  

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will make some much needed bicycle safety improvements on Hood Canal Bridge, thanks to an agreement struck between the Bicycle Alliance of Washington, local cycling groups, and WSDOT. The agreement, funded largely from a $1.3 million federal grant, allows the state to move forward on a package of safety improvements that will widen (from 3 feet to approximately 5 feet) and improve the bridge surface for bicycles.

Since the Hood Canal Bridge’s reconstruction in 2009, narrow metal plates over the bridge decking and oft-damaged plates covering bridge joints have led to numerous crashes by those on bicycle. These concerns have prompted the Bicycle Alliance of Washington and local cycling groups to advocate for safety improvements. The proposed bridge fixes, designed by WSDOT, aim to provide a more durable, wider, and non-skid riding surface for bicycle travel.

Senator Christine Rolfes (D-Bainbridge), who played a critical role in convening discussions with WSDOT noted, “I appreciate the work of staff at WSDOT – particularly those at the Olympic Region office – who were open to thinking creatively to make this project a reality. Despite the budget constraints facing the state, WSDOT sought out new approaches to address long-standing safety issues that affect mobility, tourism, and recreation between the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas.”

“We are elated to see the state move forward on fixes that will improve safety and accessibility across the Hood Canal Bridge,” said Bicycle Alliance of Washington executive director Barbara Culp. “The Bicycle Alliance of Washington applauds WSDOT for their diligence in pursuing this fix. We believe this agreement represents a new chapter in WSDOT’s pursuit of incorporating safety and mobility for bicycles on Washington’s bridges and we look forward to working with WSDOT to make this happen.”

The stakeholders representing bicycle clubs and organizations including Squeaky Wheels (Bainbridge), West Sound Cycling Club (Kitsap), Port Townsend Bicycle Association, and Peninsula Trails Coalition (Olympic Peninsula) have used their local knowledge and technical expertise to collaborate with the Bicycle Alliance of Washington and WSDOT Olympic Region on crafting a pragmatic solution that addresses some of the vexing safety concerns of the 2009 bridge reconstruction project.

“This is all about safety for me and the West Sound Cycling Club,” said Lee Derror, former president of the West Sound Cycling Club. “Fixing the Hood Canal Bridge for bicycle use creates a safer link between Kitsap and the rest of the Olympic Peninsula – that’s something we can all support.”

WSDOT expects the contractor selection process to occur in August 2012. Once WSDOT selects the contractor, construction is expected to take approximately five months. Drivers and bicyclists can expect shoulder closures, lane closures and one-way alternating traffic throughout the project’s duration.

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Contact: Blake Trask

Statewide Policy Director

Bicycle Alliance of Washington

206.310.4762

blake@bicyclealliance.org

Alert: Funding Needed for Hood Canal Bridge

Calling on all recreational riders, cycling tourists, randonneuers, trail advocates and anyone who bikes on the Kitsap or Olympic Peninsulas!

Please send a letter to Secretary of Transportation Paula Hammond to request additional funding for the Hood Canal Bridge to make it SAFE for all users including bicyclists!

When the Hood Canal Bridge reopened in the summer of 2009, bicyclists from Squeaky Wheels, West Sound Cycling Club, and the Port Townsend Bicycle Association immediately identified serious safety issues with the bridge: the width and surface treatment of the plates placed over the metal grating, and gaps, joints and height variations betweeen the bridge sections.  Those same cyclists notified and met with WSDOT representatives. In the first few months that the bridge was opened, several cyclists were seriously injuried.

As executive director of the Bicycle Alliance, I started working in early 2010 with those same bicycle advocates and we successfully allied with WSDOT to acquire $1.3 million to address the safety concerns identified. WSDOT then met with those organizations to discuss design proposals and material selection with the stated goal to retrofit the bridge during the 2012 construction season.

Unfortunately, according the WSDOT project engineer, the various options under consideration will likely exceed the $1.3 million allocated for this project. Instead the cost appears more likely in the $1.8 million range. WSDOT continues to “evaluate the options with WSDOT bridge designers and the evaluation has not changed” meaning this project needs more money to create a safe riding surface for bicyclists.

Because of WSDOT’s concern over the increased cost of the project and the uncertainty over the additional funding needed, design work on the project has stopped and will not resume until such time the project engineer is advised that more funding is available to complete this project.

As process requires, a project summary was submitted to the WSDOT Program Management group that oversees funding issues, and “requested guidance on the funding piece.” ASK Secretary Hammond to please make a determination that additional funding is warranted to fix the safety issues that were identified back in the summer of 2009. 

Now is the time for WSDOT to fund the Hood Canal Bridge’s safety issues for bicycles before more cyclists are injured. Ask Secretary Hammond to:

• Please allocate the remaining $500,000 to make the Hood Canal Bridge safe for bicycles.
• The Hood Canal Bridge is the only connection between the Kitsap Peninsula and Olympic Peninsula and is a critical link for all types of riders.
• The Hood Canal route attracts bicycle club riders, recreational riders, and cycling tourists from around the world. It is critical for bicycle tourism.
• A fix will save the state money. Ongoing safety concerns about the route make the state liable for future accidents along this improperly designed bicycle connection.
• Safety fixes now will save millions of dollars in potential liability settlements.

Send your emails to Secretary Hammond before March 30th.

Paula Hammond, Secretary of Transportation: HammonP@wsdot.wa.gov
Jerry Lenzi, Chief Engineer, lenzijc@wsdot.wa.gov
David Dye, Chief Operations Officer, DyeD@wsdot.wa.gov
Kevin Dayton – Olympic Regional Administrator, daytonk@wsdot.wa.gov
cc Jeff Cook, Olympia Region, Bridge Project Engineer, cookjd@wsdot.wa.gov
 
Please also send your emails to elected officials in the 23rd and 24th Legislative Districts:
Christine.Rolfes@leg.wa.gov
Sherry.Appleton@leg.wa.gov
Drew@drewhansen.com
Steve.Tharinger@leg.wa.gov
Jim.Hargrove@leg.wa.gov
kevin.vandewege@leg.wa.gov

Thank you again for your support and good work to make the Bridge safe for all of us.

Tailwinds

Some Planning Projects of Interest to Bicyclists

Bicycle friendly communities don't just happen. It takes public planning, citizen support, political will, funding and engineering.  There are opportunities in communities around the state to shape things in the planning stages to benefit bicyclists.  Here’s a sampling:

WSDOT’s SR 520 bridge replacement project is holding a Seattle community design public session on November 9.  The process is intended to further refine the basic features of this project.  The bridge replacement project includes bicycle pedestrian pathway and connections to it.  Meeting details are here.

Sound Transit’s light rail system expansion in Seattle and the Eastside (King County) have elements that impact bicyclists.  The North Link project has a couple of open houses scheduled to update the community on the Northgate Station (November 9) and Brooklyn Station (November 16).  Open house details can be found on the Sound Transit website.

The City of Federal Way is creating a Bicycle and Pedestrian master plan and held an open house on it last week.  You can still provide input.  More information can be found on the city website. 

Ferry County is developing a trail plan in a 28-mile railbanked corridor that stretches from Republic to the Canadian border.  Check out the Ferry County Rail Trail Partners to learn more about the planned trail.

Public comments are welcome through December 5, 2011 on the Sinclair Inlet Development Concept Plan.  The plan includes a trail connecting Bremerton and Port Orchard via Gorst.  View the plan online.

Hood Canal Bridge to Get Safer Bike Lanes…But Not for Awhile

This post was written by our guest blogger Doug Cantwell of Seattle. 
 

Bad News: The Hood Canal Bridge bike lane presents a hazard to cyclists.

Good News: WSDOT has announced plans to refit the grated section of the bridge with a wider, safer bicycling surface.

The Catch: It won’t happen overnight.

Photo:  Dana Berg/Squeaky Wheels

When the new, improved Hood Canal Bridge reopened in June 2009, bicyclists were disappointed—some say appalled—to find the same narrow steel plating laid across the grated section for their use that they’d come to fear and loathe on the old dilapidated bridge. 

The majority of the floating structure offers a generous 8-foot-wide lane, but on the grated section, cyclists must negotiate a 3-foot-wide steel plate that is further reduced in effective width by fasteners to about 18”.

“It’s pretty scary,” said Barbara Culp, executive director of the Bicycle Alliance. “If you’re carrying panniers, it would be easy to bump them on the railing, careen off onto the bare grating and go down hard.”

Barb reported that the narrow plate has caused a half-dozen spills—none of them serious—in the two years since the reopening, but she considers it “a major accident waiting to happen.”

Under pressure from the Bicycle Alliance, Port TownsendBicycle Association, West Sound Cycling Club and Squeaky Wheels (a Bainbridge Island cycling advocacy group), WSDOT recently announced plans to refit the narrow plating with a 5-foot-wide usable surface. Federal and state funds totaling $1.3 million have been allocated for the project.

However, the state won’t be accepting bids for the work until 2012. So until the contractor gets hired and the new plate is installed, let the bicyclist beware…!

Saturday is National Trails Day

I love the 200,000 miles of trail that we have in the US and I use them religiously.  There’s my after work walks through the old growth in Schmitz Park in my neighborhood or the midweek bike ride on one of the regional trails nearby.

Then there are my pilgrimages on trails to special places.  I backpacked into the Pasayten Wilderness and straddled the US-Canadian border.  I slapped on a pair of skis and followed snow covered paths into the winter wonderland of Mount Rainier National Park.  I pedaled and pushed my bike to abandoned mines and ghost town sites in the Cascades.

I’m not alone in my love for trails.  In fact, we Americans will celebrate our love of trails this Saturday on National Trails Day.  Organized hikes, bike rides, work parties and celebrations are planned all across this country on trails.

In Spokane, REI and the InlandNorthwest Trails Coalition are hosting the Fish Lake Trail Family Adventure.  Families are invited to come out to the trail to do some clean up, then bike or walk one of the most scenic paved trails in Eastern Washington.

The North Kitsap Trails Association is hosting a Bike, Hike and Paddle event.  Volunteers will lead a family mountain bike ride on the Port Gamble Trails, a guided walk through the North Kitsap Heritage Park, and a sunset paddle on Port Gamble Bay.

Check here for a listing of registered National Trails Day events in Washington.  Then go enjoy your local trails!

Go by Bike: Safe Bicycling Education for Adults

Go by Bike (GBB) is the newest addition to the Bicycle Alliance of Washington’s family of Safe Routes to School (SRtS) programs. This program complements two ongoing SRtS programs run by the Bicycle Alliance of Washington, one that runs programs statewide and another that is focused on King County. The GBB program will work with schools in the central Puget Sound region. 

I am the newest staff member here at the Alliance and I am excited and enthusiastic to be the program manager of GBB. This program will run for two years and includes two major programs. In one of the programs I will work directly with parents of students at two elementary schools (Suquamish Elementary in the North Kitsap School District and Pioneer Elementary in the Auburn School District) to teach them safe bicycling, encourage bicycling and encourage them to bicycle with their children. 

In the other program, I will be working with four colleges to help them develop safe cycling courses. This will include collaborative curriculum development, assisting with institutionalizing bicycle education programs at each college and mentoring the teachers who will teach the courses. I have made initial contacts with each collaborating school, and have had more detailed conversations with some of the more eager collaborators. This past weekend I completed my League of American Bicyclists instructor certification seminar.

In the Fall of this year we will have course offerings in each of the six collaborating schools. In 2012 we will have Spring and Fall courses at each school and the final round of courses will be in the Spring of 2013. I will also be developing an online forum for instructors participating in the GBB program; which will serve as a venue for information sharing, collaborative team-building, brainstorming and planning future programs.