A busy summer, indeed! A recap of highway maintenance accomplishments across Washington

 By: Tina Werner

Whether you visited an ocean beach, rode a ferry to the San Juans Islands, camped at Riverside State Park or stopped by the Grand Coulee Dam this summer – chances are you encountered orange cones and work zones. Some of those were for new construction projects, but many others were our own highway maintenance crews. These crews work hard to keep Washington’s roadways, bridges, tunnels, overpasses and rest areas safe and reliable.

What does all that summer work look like? How about repairing 1.8 million square feet of pavement, installing 125,000 pavement reflectors and restocking 3,000 miles’ worth of toilet paper in rest areas? And that’s just to name a few highlights. (See details below).

State Route 99 maintenance crews in Seattle test the system that detects excess heat in the tunnel. If a car overheats or there is a fire in the tunnel, the system activates several safety systems to protect travelers and emergency responders. They test this as part of their regular maintenance and inspection duties.

Highway maintenance workers

Nearly 1,500 maintenance workers are stationed across the state, from Othello to Port Orchard and Chehalis to Pullman. Their responsibilities are broad and often behind the scenes. Consider just a part of what they help manage and maintain:

• 18,700 lane miles of highway 
• 47 safety rest areas
• 3,400 state-owned and maintained bridges
• 1,200 traffic signal locations
• 3,400 highway lights
• 14,000 active or real-time pieces of equipment like electronic highway signs, electrical transformers, road weather information systems and traffic cameras.
• Nearly 100,000 acres of rights of way

 Specialized crews installed thousands of new reflectors along I-5 from the King/Pierce county line to the U.S.–Canada border (excluding active construction zones), improving visibility and roadway safety.

And their work? Some of our highway maintenance crews keep safety rest areas clean and operational. Others perform routine bridge or tunnel maintenance on bridges, such as the SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge or the SR 25 Northport Bridge in Stevens County. Crews also fix potholes, repair damaged guardrail hit by drivers, mow grass to ensure clear sightlines for travelers, inspect catch basins and address invasive plants along our rights of way. In many parts of the state, they also are first responders to crash scenes, working side-by-side with law enforcement and tow trucks. They partner with local jurisdictions to jointly clean on- and off-ramps, along with the state departments of Ecology or Corrections. They share work zone safety tips with thousands of attendees at the Washington State Fair, alongside the Washington State Patrol and other partners. And, if we are lucky, they even act in some of our very own TikTok videos showcasing our snowplows.

A summer’s worth of work

Winter is often focused on snow and ice, but summer is when crews take care of their laundry-list of improvements. Here’s an overview of things they accomplished from June 1 through Aug. 31 (drum roll please) ….

• 11,542 lane miles of road stripes painted to keep roads clearly marked.
• 9,796 square feet of potholes patched to provide a smoother ride for travelers.
• 1.8 million square feet of pavement repairs were completed.
• 18,044 feet of guardrail replaced – even though damage outpaces the resources we have to repair it.
• 125,000 reflectors installed along I-5 from the Pierce/King county line to the U.S./Canada border (outside of active construction zones).
• 16,942 miles of roadsides mowed/cleared (about 10,268 acres) to improve visibility and control invasive plants.
• 1,178 hazardous or deceased trees removed to keep roads safe and improve visibility.
• 3,000 miles of toilet paper dispensed at rest areas – enough to stretch from Seattle to New York. (This is an average based on six squares per person.)
• 40,000 hours cleaning rest areas to support safe summer travels.
• 9,937 catch basins inspected and cleared to keep stormwater flowing. This work is critical, especially before the rainy season.
• 315 culverts repaired, separate from our fish passage work which is part of new construction projects.
• 3,765 miles of roadway swept to clear small debris.
• 327,354 square feet of graffiti removed.
• 335 tons of trash collected - equal to nearly 44,650 full litter bags. ( Maintenance crews dispose of the bags/Litter is picked up by Ecology crews and Adopt-A-Highway volunteers .)
• All told, 53,000 unique work entries for highway maintenance were logged statewide.

In August, crews completed annual summer maintenance on SR 18 between Issaquah-Hobart Road and Deep Creek. Work included pavement repairs, mowing and sign and guardrail repairs.

This summer, crews replaced a damaged attenuator along SR 18. Attenuators act as buffers that absorb the impact in crashes, improving safety.

Maintenance crews repair potholes along eastbound I-90 in Spokane Valley. This work was done at night, when there is less traffic.

Crews use a vactor truck to vacuum up and clean out a storm drain along I-90 near downtown Spokane.

Taking care of what we have

The reality is that that despite all this work, we have far more highway maintenance needs than resources. Lawmakers set our budget priorities, and we focus first on our most critical safety work instead of aesthetically pleasing ones. Our funding also often has specific rules about how it can be used. For example, construction dollars cannot be redirected to day-to-day maintenance work. We also must maintain a balanced budget at the end of each biennium. That means if winter costs are higher than expected, spring work is often reduced or cut to keep everything in that specific budget balanced. Rising costs of materials, global supply chain issues and an aging transportation system all make this work even more challenging.

Give ‘em a Brake

As we transition from summer maintenance to winter operations, please remember to slow down in work zones or wherever you see our crews. Our workers are people just like you – and many are also volunteer firefighters and youth sports coaches in their communities. They all want to return safely to their loved ones at the end of the day. Putting down the phone, staying alert and never driving impaired are all basic steps you can take to help make that possible.

Crews fill large wire baskets with rocks and place them at the bottom of the SR 25 Northport Bridge in Stevens County to help stop the soil from washing away.

Join us

Does this work and photos we shared look like fun? If you’re looking for work that makes a difference in communities across Washington, we’re hiring! Learn more about joining our highway maintenance team online.

Washington State Ferries summer report card: How’d we do?

 By Bryn Hunter

As students head back to school and focus on report cards, we’re reflecting on our own. This summer was our busiest season since 2019, and Washington State Ferries was tested with its toughest challenge yet—restoring full 18-boat domestic service.

Last spring we announced added sailings on three routes: Seattle/Bremerton, Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth and Port Townsend/Coupeville. This was a big deal for our customers. Systemwide, it meant nearly 10% more service , or about 4,000 added sailings during the peak season. That meant a lot more options for our customers to sail with us.

But there were concerns that increased service might mean more canceled trips due to crewing availability, or more boats out of service for repairs and unplanned maintenance.

So, with all that in mind, how’d it go?

To be honest, pretty great.

From June 15 through Sept. 21, 2025, we measured the following:

Ridership: The number of drivers and vehicles combined with vehicle and walk-on passengers.

On-time performance: The percentage of sailings departing within 10 minutes of their scheduled departure time (our goal is at least 95%).

We added almost 50% more service on the Seattle/Bremerton route and saw nearly 150,000 more passengers use the route this summer. About 30,000 more passengers rode the Port Townsend/Coupeville route with added service as well. The Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route was restored to a more reliable daily three-boat schedule two weeks into our summer season, causing on-time performance for the season to go from 73.6% last year to 85.7% this year.

Throughout the system we had almost 500,000 more passengers ride the ferries this summer compared to Summer 2024. That’s a 7.4% increase. Even with added service we also increased our overall on time performance from 71.6% in 2024 to 76.7% this summer.

We maintained all this service using our updated Service Contingency Plan published early this year.

We also tracked the two things we had concerns about. One was cancelled sailings due to crew shortages. The other was vessels that were taken out of service unexpectedly. We had 191 canceled sailings due to lack of crewing, down from 617 last summer. Canceled trips because of unexpected vessel outages totaled 134, compared to 65 in 2024.

We saw a clear drop in crew-related cancellations compared to summer 2024. That shows our hiring and training efforts paying off. Even with a worldwide mariner shortage and many pending retirements, we are building the workforce we need. We’re investing in the engine room, deck crew and terminal staff of the future and seeing the results of that today.

We also had 18 of our 21 ferries in service while building the next generation of ferries. For now, we have fewer ferries than we would like. But thanks to the hard work and creativity of our engine room employees and Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility team, we can still offer this level of service while we wait for new ferries.

As we head into fall, we’re encouraging ferry riders to plan ahead using some of our travel tips. We just posted our updated best times to travel charts. And as always, you can check out our real-time map, and rider alerts, or follow us on X or Bluesky for updated service information pages. Not sure about how best to ride a route? Contact our customer service department and an agent can help you plan your trip.

Happy sailing! And thanks for choosing Washington State Ferries.

Southbound I-5, southbound I-405 and sections of SR 18 and I-90 in King County to close Sept. 26-29

by: Sidney Orr 

Make your weekend game plan now!

The University of Washington Huskies play the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, Sept. 27. But starting Friday night, Sept. 26, our crews will also hit the field with big construction work across King County. Closures will last through Monday, Sept. 29. As crews tackle their work, drivers should make a game plan too.

Huddle up! Here’s the starting lineup:

I-5 southbound through Kent and Des Moines

• Southbound I-5 will close from SR 516/Kent Des Moines Road to South 272nd Street. The southbound SR 509 expressway will also close from 24th Avenue South to I-5.
• Game time: 11:59 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, to 4 a.m. Monday, Sept. 29.
• Game plan: Crews will replace 60 worn-out concrete panels.
• Local drivers can detour using SR 99 or Military Road South. For longer trips, southbound SR 167 will stay open.

I-405 southbound through Renton

• Southbound I-405 will close from North Southport Drive/Sunset Boulevard Northeast to SR 167.
• Game time: 11:59 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, to 4 a.m. Monday, Sept. 29.
• Game plan: Crews will put in new drainage, pave the road and shift lanes.
• Drivers will follow a signed detour route on Sunset Boulevard Northeast.
• Work may be rescheduled if rain is forecast.
• This work is part of the I-405/Renton to Bellevue Widening and Express Toll Lanes project.

I-90 westbound through Issaquah

• Reduced near Front Street.
• The Front Street on-ramp to westbound I-90 will also close.
• Game time: 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, to 8 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 28.
• Game plan: Crews will repair bridges.
• Work may be rescheduled if rain is forecast.
• This work is part of the I-90 westbound SR 900 to East Sunset Way Paving and Expansion Joint Replacement project.

SR 18 westbound in Auburn

• Westbound SR 18 reduced to one lane from 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, to 1 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 28. The Auburn Way South on-ramp to westbound SR 18 will close at the same time.
• Game time: All lanes will close from 2 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 28, to 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 29. Westbound SR 18 traffic must exit to Auburn Way South but may use the on-ramp back onto the highway.
• Game plan: Crews will replace bridge joints.
• Westbound SR 18 traffic must exit to Auburn Way South during the full closure but may use the on-ramp back onto the highway.

• Work may be rescheduled if rain is forecast.

• This work is part of the SR 18 C Street Southwest to Green River Paving and Joint Replacement project.

Getting around

With all this work, here are the best ways to make sure you cross the goal line:

• Avoid delay of game: If you can, leave earlier or later in the day to avoid heavy traffic on detour routes.
• Call a timeout: Delay non-essential trips to help keep traffic moving – remember it’s a great weekend to watch football from your couch.
• Always remember teamwork: Taking transit or carpooling will also reduce congestion on local and regional detours.

Know before you go

While this is our playbook, it's not the full game plan. Travelers are encouraged to check travel times on the Travel Center map, WSDOT mobile app and following the agency’s social media accounts.

Where's the Wenatchee? Why the first ride isn't the finish line

By: Kurt Workman

Few things are more exciting at Washington State Ferries than the day a new or recently upgraded vessel carries its first passengers. It’s always a day of celebration, but it’s also an important milestone in a long journey.

The Wenatchee, North America's largest hybrid-electric ferry, arrives at Seattle’s Colman Dock ferry terminal.

Behind the scenes, our crews and engineers know it’s the final stage of a critical phase known as commissioning. Commissioning is an intensive process of troubleshooting and fine-tuning. This final stage can only take place in real-world conditions. There’s no way to simulate a fully loaded ferry on a busy route.

The Wenatchee, one of our three largest ferries ( Jumbo Mark II class ), is currently in this final stage. Like any complex overhaul, a few issues have surfaced.

Upgrading a 27-year-old ferry is no small feat. The Wenatchee now has a modern propulsion system, new ship controls and hybrid-electric power. This was an engineering challenge few have attempted on a vessel of this size. The Wenatchee is now North America’s largest hybrid-electric passenger ferry. It may take several weeks, but once fully commissioned, it will offer a cleaner, quieter and more reliable ride on our Seattle/Bainbridge Island crossing. Check out this video for a look at the conversion process.

Testing, tweaking and troubleshooting

Commissioning of the Wenatchee began at the shipyard. Crews worked through a long list of issues, most of which were quickly identified and resolved. When Wenatchee returned to us, testing continued for several months. Over time, fewer problems emerged. The U.S. Coast Guard provided approvals at each stage of the process. Eventually, the vessel was deemed ready for regular service. However, this did not mark the end of the commissioning process.

It’s common for occasional issues to surface during a vessel's early days of operation. In fact, a planned maintenance window was already built into the schedule in late September to mid-October, when the Wenatchee will be out of service. This was to address some items the team expected to discover.

When issues do arise, it often happens under rare or infrequent conditions. While these are not safety concerns, they can be time-consuming to address due to their inconsistency. It’s key during this time to maintain strong contingency plans, including having extra engineering staff on board and staging backup ferries. These preparations have helped minimize service disruptions when we’ve taken the Wenatchee out of service.

Our Director of Vessel Maintenance and Engineering, Forrest Nichols, explained it this way: “Just last month, the Chimacum had to go back into dry dock after completing a three-month dry dock project due to an issue with the controllable pitch propeller. This issue wasn’t discovered until late-stage commissioning of the work performed. Especially when new systems are fitted to old equipment, unexpected problems are extremely common.”

Working toward long-term solutions

During testing, crews identified a rare issue with the drive motor system. This is something that didn’t appear earlier. The problem isn’t related to the hybrid-electric conversion. It involves the propulsion system, which was also upgraded during the overhaul.

Because the issue only appears intermittently, it’s hard to diagnose. It’s even harder to confirm whether the fix worked. The upside? Crews can now recognize the signs, pinpoint the involved equipment and have a strong lead on the likely cause. The challenge is that it’s complex and unpredictable, so solving it takes time and further testing.

As we continue the commissioning process, our team is confident in a long-term fix. This will keep the Wenatchee running safely and reliably for years to come.

“We do not expect this to be the last issue in this commissioning process, but we do expect the rate and significance of challenges to decrease as we progress forward in this process,” Nichols said.

Powering progress

The Wenatchee upgrade is just one step in our 2040 Long Range Plan. Upcoming work includes key project areas for ferry system electrification:

• Building new hybrid-electric vessels, including two currently under contract (with an option for a third)
• Adding shore charging at key central Puget Sound terminals

Stay tuned for many more stories about our quest to build a cleaner, more reliable and more modern fleet, serving Washingtonians and our visitors for decades to come.

Re-connecting communities: How Judkins Park is Reshaping its I-90 Ramps

 By: April Delchamps

The opportunity to shape Judkins Park

Aerial view of Judkins Park and the surrounding neighborhood.

A new light rail station is opening in the Judkins Park neighborhood soon, which is going to change how people get around. More people will walk, bike and roll in the area. To prepare for this shift, we are looking at potential improvements where the I-90 ramps meet Rainier Avenue South.

The I-90 Judkins Park – Reconnecting Communities Study is a chance for the community to help shape how people travel in their neighborhood. The study brings together community voices, transportation experts and creative design to find better ways for people to travel on Rainier Avenue South at I-90.

What we are studying and why

Anyone who has walked, biked or rolled through Judkins Park has dealt with fast-moving vehicles getting on and off I-90 ramps at Rainier Avenue South. A 2018 study done by the Seattle Department of Transportation recommended that we improve these on- and off-ramps. When the new light rail station opens, even more people will use the I-90 interchange. These travelers might be traveling by foot, bike, adaptive device or many other ways. We are considering ways to improve safety at all five I-90 on-ramps and off-ramps at Rainier Avenue South. Our goals are to:

• improve safe travel for all—particularly for pedestrians and cyclists
• strengthen community connectivity
• improve access to the Judkins Park Link light rail station

Map of the Judkins Park area with the I-90 ramps endpoints shown as orange dots.

Advisory Park members represent many voices

No one knows a neighborhood better than the people who work, live and spend time there. The Advisory Group was created to include these voices—people who have lived here a long time and newcomers; business owners and people who commute; homeowners and renters; people who walk, roll and bike; families; and community advocates. The group includes people from local schools, community organizations, small businesses, advocacy groups and transportation agencies (City of Seattle, King County Metro and Sound Transit).

Advisory Group role

We work together with the Advisory Group to talk about changes that can be made to improve safety and efficiency of the I-90 ramps. The Advisory Group meets regularly through mid-2026.

Input from this group, and the community in general, helps us understand the community’s needs and priorities as they access the light rail station and get around the Judkins Park area.

Learning from past feedback

Judkins Park has been part of several transportation studies and community engagement efforts. We collected helpful feedback for this study in 2024 and plan to keep asking the community for input. We want to learn from past studies, while also making sure we have the most up-to-date information from the community for this work.

What the community has said so far

People touring the Judkins Park area as part of the Seattle Neighborhood Greenways Walking/Rolling Tour in 2024.

We talked with many people during Advisory Group meetings, events, surveys and listening sessions. Here is what we have heard:

Key community priorities:

• Getting around: people want to take the bus, walk, roll or bike to safely and efficiently get around Judkins Park and to the light rail station.
• Improvements to sidewalks and crosswalks : People want sidewalks that are not broken, disconnected or missing; crosswalks that are easy to find and use; to stay dry rather than get splashed on sidewalks; and more lighting.
• Traffic issues: People want drivers to slow down, stop at crosswalks and drive more carefully; better visibility for drivers to see people, especially when it is dark or raining.
• Noise and air pollution: People want less noise and cleaner air.
• Getting around for everyone: People want better access for people who walk, roll and bike; better crossing solutions for pedestrians who are visually impaired; solutions that also consider people who need to drive because other options are not accessible to them; noting that people have different, important needs that may require different solutions.
• Plan carefully: People want careful planning to minimize how closing or changing roads may affect people.

We are including this input to guide this study. We are studying ways to:

• make walking, rolling, biking and taking transit more comfortable
• reduce conflicts between traffic and pedestrians and people who bike
• create shorter routes for pedestrians and bikes
• get vehicles to drive slower

SDOT's near-term improvements

SDOT, in coordination with us, has made improvements to help with concerns now, while we work on long term solutions in this study. SDOT finished construction this year, and you can see the improvements in the community.

Where we are in the study

Our study follows a clear process to find the best solutions for reconnecting our community. Here's how it works:

Step 1: What problems are we trying to solve? We listen to the community and Advisory Group to understand what needs to be fixed or improved.

Step 2: How do we decide what's most important? Community and Advisory Group input helps us figure out which benefits and impacts matter most.

Step 3: What are our options? We work with the community and Advisory Group to come up with different ways to make improvements.

Step 4: Which options work best? We review each option with community and Advisory Group feedback to see which ones meet our needs.

Step 5: How can we make these options better? We use more feedback to improve and select the best options.

Step 6: Any final thoughts before we choose? We get final input from the community and Advisory Group to make sure we've got it right. We also create a draft report of our findings.

Step 7: What did we choose and why? We finish our study report and begin designing the improvements we recommend.

The Advisory Group for the I-90 Judkins Park Station study started in late 2024. Throughout this whole process, we are working closely with both our Advisory Group and the community to get their input.

We are currently looking at different options for improvements and will share more details about what we are learning in our next blog post.

Learn more and get involved

Study webpage

Visit the project page for the latest updates and detailed information:

SDOT study webpage

Learn about complementary near-term improvements.

Stay Tuned for More Opportunities to Participate

We are committed to keeping the community involved through this process. Watch for announcements about more opportunities to share your thoughts. Sign up for Seattle area news and study email updates.

Contact Info

Amber Stanley - Community Engagement Lead

Phone: 206-817-8833

Email: amber.stanley@wsdot.wa.gov

Wellness Check on the US 2 Trestle Study

By: April Delchamps

Last year, we listened to what the public had to say about the US 2 Trestle. Then we came up with improvement ideas to match what people wanted. We tested each idea to make sure it met the Purpose and Need.

It’s kind of like deciding on a smartphone or computer. There are a lot of options. You might narrow down those options by first thinking about what you need at a basic level like a brand you’re familiar with. Then you dig a little deeper into features like size, sound and physical appearance. Then you dig even deeper into more technical elements like how it works with other devices you use regularly or file storage. In the end, maybe you have two or three options to choose from.

Since then, we’ve been working to narrow down what we heard from the community into potential improvements for the trestle and connecting roads in Everett and Lake Stevens. We went from over 40 improvement concepts to 22. And we’re just getting started. Expect three more blogs with more information on the process this fall, leading up to a public comment period in early 2026.

Updated Purpose and Need

One of the most important parts of this study is what we learn from agencies, tribes, and community members. Last year, we held an online open house and survey to listen to people about how they travel on or near the US 2 Trestle. We also heard about the challenges of travelling in this area. In October 2024, we blogged about the survey findings and how they informed the study Purpose and Need Statement.

What is a Purpose and Need again? Here’s how the Federal Highway Administration defines it. Everything we do on this study must address the study Purpose and Need statement. Nothing moves forward in our analysis unless it meets the statement we developed together.

FHWA agreed with our Purpose and Need in August 2024, but federal Executive Orders required that we revisit it. We made minor changes to the language and FHWA concurred with these in July 2025.

As a reminder, our current Purpose and Need statement focuses on three major topics: multimodal mobility (cars, trucks, buses, bikes, pedestrians), safety, and resiliency (keeping the bridge functioning), also referred to as “state of good repair.”

Here’s what’s happened with the study since last fall:

1. We worked with our advisory groups to come up with more than 40 ideas to improve the trestle and the roads on both the east and west sides.
2. We did an early review called “prescreening” to see if each idea could meet the main goals of the project. This was a simple pass-or-fail test. Two ideas didn’t pass and were dropped.
3. The rest of the ideas moved to the next review, called “Level 1 screening.” In this step, we rated how well each idea could improve travel for different types of transportation, make things safer, and help the trestle last longer. We gave each idea a “high,” “medium,” or “low” score. We shared these results with our study committees earlier this year.

Concepts include the east and west interchanges, and the east and west bound trestle structures.

4. We are now combining the highest-scoring concepts from Level 1 into what’s called “system-level alternatives.” This means we’ve combined improvement concepts for the east side, west side, and the trestle itself. We’re also using traffic modeling to make sure these ideas work together. These packages of improvements will go into the next level of review, called the “Level 2 evaluation.” In Level 2, we will take a deeper, more numbers-based look at each alternative to see how well each meets the Purpose and Need.

Steps to move from Level 1 Screening to Level 2 Evaluation.

If you're curious about how tolling fits into the study, you can check out the materials from our second EAG meeting.

What’s coming?

We plan to share the results of the Level 2 analysis with the public in early 2026. In the meantime, we’ll be in touch with more details about what we are doing.

Here’s a look at what you’ll learn in upcoming blog posts:

• Critical connections: how we’re looking at the east and west side of the trestle to improve travel experience on the trestle.
• Car-less crossings: How we are considering public transit and active transportation (think bicycling, walking, or other non-vehicle forms of traveling) improvements to the trestle experience.
• What the public can expect to see in the next online open house.

Please stay tuned for all this and more! To follow along with the study, consider signing up for the WSDOT Snohomish County Newsletter email updates. We also regularly update our study web page and document library.