Outline
- Repair Details
- Timing
- Mission of the Traffic Management Plan (TMP)
- Interstate Bridge Lane Treatment
- Interchange Closures
- C-TRAN Transit Alternatives
- Tri-Met Transit Alternatives
- Amtrak Operation
- Carpools, Vanpools, Flex Time, Telecommuting, Job Sharing, Etc.
- High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes
- Surface Street Improvements and Monitoring
- Incident Response
- Public Outreach Program
- TMP Public Participation
- Commuters
- Employers
Background and Mission
Repair Details
- Replace the counterweight cables, drums and shafts (trunnions) on the north tower of the northbound Interstate 5 liftbridge. One of the trunnion (part of the mechanism which lifts the bridge) on the northbound structure has developed a crack. The crack is slowly growing and will ultimately result in failure of the trunnion and the bridge. Although the bridge is considered safe at this time, Oregon and Washington State bridge engineers have determined it will be necessary to make repairs this fall, in order to ensure the integrity of the bridge and safety of the public. Delay of repairs to the bridge trunnion will decrease the safety "buffer" between 1997 and 1999, when the probability of failure begins to increase substantially.
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Timing
- September 1997 was chosen to allow maritime traffic to pass under the bridge during low water without requiring the use of the drawbridge. By mid-September most vacation travel is finished and the holiday shopping season is avoided. This project requires specialized forging, machining and welding of very large components. The time line to fabricate these components is very tight in order to perform the work by September of this year.
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Mission of the Traffic Management Plan (TMP)
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The project will significantly impact vehicular and maritime traffic. On the typical weekday, Portland and Vancouver experience rush hour traffic backups at the I-5 Interstate Bridge that may extend several miles in either direction. Without a Traffic Management Plan during the bridge closure and if there was no diversion or cancellation of interstate trips, additional traffic backups at the I-5 Instate Bridge could extend 50 miles to the north and 40 miles to the south. An impact of that magnitude would cause many trips to be canceled or diverted to other routes. Even with that trip reduction, backups would still extend an additional 10 miles to the north and 4 miles to the south.
A multi-jurisdiction, bi-state Traffic Management Team is working cooperatively on developing a Traffic Management Plan (TMP) to lessen the traffic impacts of the northbound structure closure. The group includes ODOT, WSDOT, the cities of Portland and Vancouver, Clark County, Tri-Met, C-TRAN, Metro and the Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council. The TMP addresses the following goals:
- Maintain commuter and freight traffic mobility in and through the I-5 corridor, and manage other bi-state traffic on alternate routes to minimize impacts on road capacity.
- Encourage use of alternate modes of transportation and reduce traffic demand in the I-5 corridor and other bi-state alternate routes during project construction.
- Maintain effective communication with the public, local governments, adjacent neighborhoods and businesses, and emergency services providers during construction to insure proper coordination of efforts.
- Institute a workable Traffic Management Plan that maintains project construction cost-effectiveness and schedules, while addressing commuter and freight traffic needs in the I-5 corridor and on bi-state alternate routes.
The Traffic Management Plan has been developed over a very short period of time. Details and an implementation component of the TMP remain to be worked out. Discussions are continuing with Amtrak to refine an operating plan and the costs for that service. This TMP report, therefore, is a guide and not a blue print for managing the impacts of the I-5 bridge closure.
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Traffic Management Plan Strategies
- The Traffic Management Plan is comprehensive and responsive. It takes advantage of a range of alternative transport modes from bikes to buses to achieve a targeted 26% reduction in vehicular trips. The Plan identifies strategic traffic control measures to keep traffic moving. Key to the Plan is the public communications component.
Interstate Bridge Lane Treatment
- The southbound bridge structure will carry all I-5 traffic on three lanes. A reversible, "positive" (solid) traffic separation will define lane directions. From approximately 12:00 a.m. through 12:00 p.m. two lanes of traffic will flow southbound, to accommodate peak commute into Oregon. Between the hours of approximately 12:00 p.m. through 12:00 a.m. two lane will flow northbound, accommodating evening peak commute.
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Interchange Closures
SR-14/Washington Street Southbound I-5 On-Ramp
- Closed due to safety conflicts from merging traffic.
Hayden Island Northbound I-5 On-Ramp
- Closed due to close proximity to the closed northbound bridge. At this location northbound lanes have already merged and shifted to the southbound structure.
Marine Drive Northbound I-5 On-Ramp
- Due to the close proximity of the south end of the bridge, it is expected that this on-ramp will be closed to all traffic, except for transit busses (approximately one every fifteen minutes) operating between Jantzen Beach and Vancouver. Any additional traffic using this on-ramp would adversely impact the safety and flow of traffic as it is transitioned to what is now the southbound bridge. The configuration of I-5 at this on-ramp is now being studied further to determine if limited truck access for certain hours of the day can be safely accommodated.
Everett/Grand Eastbound I-84 On-Ramp
- I-84 will be impacted by I-5 traffic diverting to I-205. This on-ramp will be closed to improve the flow of traffic from I-5 to I-84 eastbound.
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C-TRAN Transit Alternatives
- C-TRAN will offer additional bus service by increasing frequency and equipment on the I-5 and I-205 corridors. Additional park and ride facilities will be made available in Vancouver. C-TRAN and Tri-Met will provide cooperative service to the Gateway Transit Center. C-TRAN will also provide shuttles to the Amtrak station, from overflow lots located off-premises.
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Tri-Met Transit Alternatives
- An I-5 Bridge shuttle operation will be added to Tri-Met's regular services to accommodate travel between Vancouver and Jantzen Beach, Portland and Jantzen Beach with connections to the Kenton transfer location and travel between Portland and Vancouver with connections to the Kenton location. Tri-Met will add four additional two-car trains to the Gateway-to-downtown Max line to accommodate C-TRAN's shuttle Portland-bound transit service to the Gateway station.
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Amtrak Operation
- Project staff, Amtrak and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad are working together to provide Amtrak shuttle train service between the Vancouver and Portland stations. This service utilizes the Amtrak "SeaHawks" train, with a capacity of 700 people. Three trips would be offered weekdays on an hourly schedule in the primary commute direction. At least one trip would be offered in the reverse commute direction. Park & ride facilities and transit connections would be provided at both ends of the trip. Details of this operating plan and the cost of the service are being discussed with Amtrak.
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Carpools, Vanpools, Flex Time, Telecommuting, Job Sharing, Etc.
- Participation from the public will be necessary to effectively manage traffic during the project. The public will be encouraged through an aggressive employer and commuter outreach program to ride with at least one other person, or adjust work schedules. Priority travel in HOV lanes and carpool parking discounts are some of the incentives being offered.
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High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes
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HOV lanes will be provided in both directions of Interstate 5, terminating at the bridge head in each direction. Southbound, on the Washington side, the HOV lane will begin at the I-205 split to the bridgehead. Northbound, from Portland, the HOV lane will run from Going Street, to the bridge head.
HOV lanes will operate on I-205, using existing inside travel lanes north of the river (from SR-500 southbound and to Mill Plain Boulevard northbound) and on the Glenn Jackson Bridge and the existing highway shoulder south of the river as far as Glisan Street.
Enforcement will be critical to the success of the HOV lane strategy. Law enforcement agencies on both sides of the river will support the HOV program on both interstate highways.
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Surface Street Improvements and Monitoring
- The Cities of Portland and Vancouver as well as Clark County have identified strategic traffic improvements or traffic control adjustments to facilitate the efficient movement of traffic and to minimize local impacts. These cities will also monitor streets during the closure to identify and additional necessary traffic control measures.
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Incident Response
- Emergency services agencies from each side of the river and the state departments of transportation are coordinating to provide complementary incident and emergency response services. Every effort will be made to preserve public safety by providing access for emergency services. Highway incidents will be promptly addressed and removed to facilitate the continuous flow of traffic. These activities will be coordinated through a central Traffic Management Operations Center with information supplied by field reports and remote roadside cameras.
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Public Outreach Program
- The success of the TMP alternatives rests on the level of public participation in the alternatives listed above. An aggressive, multi-leveled public outreach program has been initiated to increase public participation.
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TMP Public Participation
- Two representatives (one from Portland, the other from Vancouver) participate on the TMP Technical Advisory Committee. Additionally, two "Focus Groups" have been formed (one in Portland, the other in Vancouver), to provide feedback on the TMP and communicating TMP alternatives to the public. Members of the Focus Groups include representatives from neighborhood associations, business associations, the freight and distribution industry and ports within the I-5 and I-205 areas.
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Commuters
- A multi-media promotional campaign will be initiated to reach the commuter on a variety of levels: billboards, bus advertisement panels, radio and placement of promotional/information materials in a variety of retail and high-traffic outlets within Portland and Vancouver. Additionally, TMP team presentations will be made to neighborhood associations and business associations in the area.
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Employers
- Employer support is key to the amount of commuters who will participate in alternate modes and commute times. Employers with 50 or more employees will be reached via mailings, phone calls and presentations.
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The TMP will be responsive to changing needs leading up to and during the bridge closure. C-TRAN will provide a reserve of buses and drivers to meet unexpected rider demand or schedule delays. Each jurisdiction is also providing Quick Response traffic control teams that can be quickly deployed and address unanticipated highway and surface street problems.
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