Public Works Project of the Year A w a r d Nomination Form

PRO

FESS

ION

AL

AWA

RDS

2015

APW

APublic Works Project of the Year A w a r d

Nomination Form

Deadline January 15, 2015 (electronic submitttals only)

Project Name

Project Completion Date

Public Agency

Project Category Structures Transportation Environment Historical Restoration/Preservation Disaster or Emergency Construction/Repair

Project Division Less than $5 Million $5 Million, but less than $25 Million $25 Million–$75 Million More than $75 Million

Managing Agency

Name

Title

Agency/Organization

Address (if post o�ce box, include street address)

City State/Province Zip/Postal Code

Phone Fax

E-mail

Primary Contractor

Name

Title

Agency/Organization


City State/Province Zip-Postal Code

Phone Fax

E-mail

Primary Consultant

Name

Title

Agency/Organization



Phone Fax

E-mail

Continued...

Must be substantially completed (90%) and available for public use as of December 31, 2014.

PRO

FESS

ION

AL

AW

ARD

S2

015

AP

WA

Public Works Project of the Year AwardSupporting Data Form

Please address each of the following areas in your nomination, adhering to the sequence below when possible.

• Completion date contained in contract. Any time extensions granted should be addressed in the submittal.

• Construction schedule, management, and control techniques used. Use of alternative materials, practices of funding that demonstrates a commitment to sustainability.

• Safety performance including number of lost-time injuries per 1,000 man-hours worked and overall safety program employed during the construction phase.

• Environmental considerations including special steps taken to preserve and protect the environment, endangered species, etc., during the construction phase.

• Community relations—a summary of the efforts by the agency, consultant and contractor to protect public lives and property, minimize public inconvenience and improve relations.

• Unusual accomplishments under adverse conditions, including but not limited to, adverse weather, soil or site conditions, or other occurrences over which there was no control.

• Additional considerations you would like to bring to the attention of the project review panel, such as innovations in technology and/or management applications during the project.

NOTE: Supporting documentation is limited to 20 pages, exclusive of photographs and nomination form. Photographs will be used for promotional purposes by the association. Submittal should include nomination form and supporting documentation form, and photographs. No letters of recommendation please. Simultaneous nomination of the same project in both Public Works Project of the Year and SC/RC Project of the Year or in two categories is not permitted.

Nominations not chosen in a specific year for the Public Works Project of the Year–Small Cities/Rural Communities Award cannot be resubmitted in a subsequent year in the other category.

Nominated by: (Can only be nominated by managing public agency or APWA chapters.) Projects that involve or reside within two or more chapters locations can be co-nomiated. Each chapter will receive credit to submit a PACE nomination. All chapters must be identified on the nomination form and before the nominations are judged.

Name

Title

Agency/Organization

Address (if post office box, include street address)


Phone Fax

E-mail

Public Works Project of the Year Award Program American Public Works Association

January 2015

Pioneer Highway/Fir Island Road Intersection Project

Nominated for : Transportation, Less than $5 Million

SKAGIT COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT 1800 Continental Place, Mount Vernon, WA 98273-5625

(360) 336-9400 In Conjunction with

Reid Middleton, Inc., Widener & Associates, Russell + Lambert Landscaping Architecture, and GeoEngineers

Colacurcio Brothers, Inc. Contractor Skagit County Public Utility District No. 1

Conway and The Skagit County Community

Skagit County Public Works Department APWA 2015 Project of the Year Nomination

Pioneer Highway/Pioneer Road Intersection Project

Throughout the next decade, Skagit County considered various design solutions to mitigate the confusion of these two closely-spaced intersections. In 2013, the County was selected for the FHWA Quick Response Safety Program federal grant proposing a single-lane, five-leg roundabout. FHWA awarded the grant based on the safety benefits of the project, but given a six month deadline to obligate the construction funds. One challenge of this project was taking a concept and developing it into full construction documents, while securing environmental permits within such a short period of time. This required close coordination with multiple agencies and stakeholders and avoiding time-consuming right-of-way acquisitions and easements.

Nomination

Skagit County Public Works wishes to nominate our Pioneer Highway/Fir Island Road Intersection Project for the 2015 APWA “Project of the Year” in the category of Transportation, Less than $5 Million. Since 2000, Skagit County envisioned to improve the traffic flow and safety at the awkward intersections of Pioneer Highway at Fir Island Road, and Main St/Conway Frontage Rd at Fir Island Road (project intersections). These closely spaced intersections, 110 feet apart, caused safety and operational concerns. Located 800 feet west of the Interstate 5 (I-5) southbound ramps, the intersections were free-flowing for the major roadways and stop-controlled for the minor roadways. The County was provided a conceptual design simplifying the intersections by combining them into a five-leg roundabout. Although intrigued by the idea, the timing and fiscal climate was not right for the County to implement this innovative solution back in 2000.

Introduction

Intersection of Pioneer Highway & Fir Island Road, at the I-5 Interchange

Ramp – Preconstruction

2 of 18



Project Background The project is located in the southern portion of Skagit County, in the unincorporated rural village of Conway, Washington and is the second busiest non-commercial intersection in the County. This intersection provides access to Snohomish County to the south, tourist and scenic destinations in the northwest portion of the County, and serves as a major route for the local agricultural and heavy trucking industries. In addition it has seen increased use as a detour route for Interstate-5. As part of the intersection analysis, the County and their design consultant coordinated closely with these important stakeholders to ensure the intersection was constructed to meet their needs and travel paths. The detour was observed in operation during design when the I-5 Skagit River Bridge collapsed and traffic increased substantially through these intersections while repairs to the bridge were made. Since the bridge has been repaired this intersection has seen increased volume due to, we feel, the realization during the detour of a more direct route to the northwest portion of the County.

Intersections - Main St/Conway Frontage Rd and Pioneer Hwy/Fir Island Road – Preconstruction

3 of 18



Accidents/Safety The objectives of the project were to improve the safety of the intersection by eliminating fatal and disabling injuries and crashes along with the overall number of collisions while improving the level of service (flow) through the intersections. Over the 5-year period prior to construction, the intersection experienced 17 collisions, 8 of which were serious injury, including a disabling injury collision. The societal costs of these collisions were calculated to be over $2,000,000. The average daily traffic entering these intersections is over 20,000 vehicles per day. This intersection is a vital link to the Skagit Valley and neighboring communities, which carries 1,700,000 gross annual tons of freight and is classified as a T-3 Truck Route. In addition it provides access along agricultural routes, and serves as a detour route as well as the over-limit route for I-5. Funding

Skagit County Public Works applied for the 2013 Quick Response Safety Program Grant on January 4, 2013 and on February 7, 2013 received notice that the County was selected for the funds of $2,000,000 to construct and improve the multiple intersections. The federal funds were available at 100 percent for construction and required no local match. To meet the state and federal requirements for funding, the following dates were required:

Construction funds must be obligated by July 31, 2013

4 of 18



o A very aggressive schedule was administered for the design and preparation of all construction documents; within 6 months the design (PS&E) was completed and construction funds were obligated.

Project must be advertised for construction by October 1, 2013 o The County advertised for construction 2 months earlier on August 1st.

Design/Construction Schedule Design In January 2013, the County hired Reid Middleton as the consultant to begin permitting, preparing plans, specifications, and estimate (PS&E) for the intersection design in order to be competitive for the funding request. The roundabout was designed entirely within the public right-of-way, as the schedule did not allow for additional acquisition. Early coordination with WSDOT was necessary to secure approval since a portion of the project was within the I-5 limited access right-of-way. During the accelerated design phase, Skagit County Public Utility District #1 (PUD #1) chose to upgrade their water main located within the project site. The design team worked closely with PUD #1 to ensure that the appropriate permitting and design needs were met while not holding up the project.

Close coordination with other stakeholders, including utility companies and Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), allowed the County to quickly identify and solve any challenges that might delay the project. All utility stakeholders, within the project limits were continuously updated on design progress, and their relocation designs were reviewed to ensure conflicts were avoided or resolved.

5 of 18



Construction The project was advertised for bids on August 1, 2013 and the contract was awarded to the low bidder Colacurcio Brothers, Inc. of Blaine, Washington, in the amount of, $2,036,439.49 on September 16, 2013. This bid amount included $141,782.87 for the PUD #1 portion to replace and upgrade their waterline leaving the County $1,894,656.62 to construct the project, which was under the construction cost estimate. The remaining funds were used for construction engineering, inspection, and material testing. Phase 1 Because of complex conditions related to traffic flow and construction, the two intersections were required to remain open at all times during construction. This made it an extremely complicated project; building a roundabout and still keeping the traffic flowing. Work began outside of the existing roadway in October 2013 which included clearing, grubbing, roadway excavation, and pre-load fill placement. A geotechnical engineer monitored this work closely due to poor soil conditions. Also installed was a portion of the storm drainage system and waterline system. Construction was stopped late November, due to winter weather conditions, leaving most of the existing roadway intact.

Per the requirement of the Contract Provisions, the contractor was not to perform within the travel way during the Annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. The festival brings hundreds of thousands of visitors to Skagit Valley for the month of April and this intersection is one of the major routes to and from the tulip fields and festival events in other Skagit County communities.

Winter Shut-down – December 2013

6 of 18



Phase 2 Resume Construction - After the Tulip Festival, construction resumed in May and continued uninterrupted through the 2014 summer completion.

Due to the critical characteristics of the project and the fact that there were local businesses with limited access, weather concerns, and traffic delays, the County used several tools for scheduling and management to keep the project on track. Scheduling as Communication Tool: After the contract was awarded the County and designers met with the Contractor to verify the importance of specific milestones established in the bid documents. At the project pre-construction conference the Contractor provided progress and phasing schedules depicting all anticipated activities. This was used as a major tool for communication and strategic planning with the Contractor, utilities, the school district, and emergency services, and was constantly updated as the project progressed. Weekly Meetings: Communication is one of the best tools to keep a project on schedule. Staff from the County, PUD #1, WSDOT inspector, and the Contractor held weekly on-site meetings to address any concerns of the stakeholders. At these meetings, County staff requested and discussed the one week look-ahead of the Contractor’s schedule to ensure a workable traffic control plan. To be able to immediately address questions or concerns such as the school district bus routes or utility company installations, notification was pertinent to upcoming work. This simple process of just verbalizing what needed to happen had the effect of working out the kinks before they became blockages.

7 of 18



Sustainable Practices: Sustainable design considerations and low impact development (LID) strategies were implemented in this project in a cost effective manner. Using appropriate geometry, planting a vegetated central island, tailoring the truck apron construction, and using non-vegetated permeable splitter islands, the project reduced the amount of impervious area, from 126,324 SF prior to construction to 124,581 SF after construction. The net decrease of impervious area minimized the stormwater detention and water quality needs. LID strategies were incorporated into the drainage design by using notched curbs adjacent to grass filter strips, which reduced the need for more costly and maintenance-intensive media filtration manholes. The existing asphalt was pulverized and reused to reduce the amount of expensive imported fill. Through good communication, scheduling and a project partnering approach, the end result was a project that was completed on time with minimal impacts to the residents and visitors of Skagit County.

Safety Performance

The contractor, Colacurcio Brothers, Inc. and their subcontractors implemented a site specific safety program which included weekly safety meetings to address the hazards on the job as well as any other items needing attention.

The project’s 76 days of site work totaled 13,500 man-hours worked. Throughout the life of the project there were no injuries or accidents to the contractor crews, the motoring public and pedestrians, or the County on-site representatives. Colacurcio flagging staff communicated the daily work plan to the local business owners and made sure the businesses were accessible at all times. Examples emphasized routinely were the large number of trucks and pieces of heavy equipment constantly moving about in the work zone and the traffic flow patterns changing often to accommodate the public as work progressed.

8 of 18



Colacurcio Brothers provided a positive and safe workplace; each employee had a personal and vital responsibility to contribute to safe work performance. This project was accident and injury free. No working days were lost due to accidents on the project.

Traffic Safety was a huge concern, and included the daily detour traffic plan, which was monitored closely with changes made as needed to accommodate the work schedule, peak traffic volumes and the local business needs. Average daily traffic entering the intersections reached 20,000 vehicles.

BNSF has a major railway

line through the work zone.

Extra care was taken by the flaggers to ensure no

vehicles were stopped on the

tracks. Large Traffic Volume from I-5

and Snohomish County

9 of 18



Environmental Considerations Our consultant Reid Middleton and their environmental subconsultant provided various documentation including the SEPA determination, NPDES permit, NEPA approval, cultural resources report, and Area of Potential Effects (APE). Cultural Resources Assessment Midway through the design phase in April 2013, the County was informed that the project area was a potential environmentally sensitive site and in close proximity to a known archeological site. The findings presented challenges that needed to be addressed expediently or there was a risk of jeopardizing the project, however we persevered striving to make the required deadlines to obligate construction funds. The County’s cultural resources consultant conducted systematic subsurface test pits to 7-feet below the surface at 8 locations within the APE. The consultant did not find any cultural resources during the investigations. The consultant provided documentation to the State Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation, State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), and neighboring Native American tribes. Three months later, in early July we received notification that the project was outside of the known archeological site and in a road fill/altered soils location closer to I-5. In conclusion, no historic properties were affected by the project, so the project moved forward.

The County and the construction crew worked with the local tribal representatives when on-site answering their questions and addressing any concerns. The crews were aware of the proximity of the project to known tribal archaeological sites and were trained to recognize historical or archaeological objects.

Observing Material in the Test Pits during the Cultural Resource Investigation with State Historic Preservation personnel

10 of 18



Community Relations Skagit County Public Works hosted several meetings with the citizens of Conway and local community including the Conway Elementary School and Conway Fire Department. Representatives from Skagit County along with the design engineer attended these meetings for the purpose of discussing details, plans, and specifics of the project. Informational boards, photos, videos of other roundabouts, and a scale model with vehicles were shared with the community. The County and the design consultant answered questions and explained design decisions of the roundabout for the public’s benefit. Additionally, Public Works sent out newsletters to the community and placed project reports on the County Website in order to keep them informed of updates relative to the project progression.

The success of this project was due in large part to the relationships Skagit County developed with all of our community partners; specifically, WSDOT, PUD #1, Conway School District, Conway Fire District, and the Conway Community.

The contractor and their flagging crew worked closely with business owners to keep them aware of the daily work plan. The crew was conscientious in keeping local businesses accessible during each day’s construction activities and kept the businesses and the private homeowners informed when access to their property would be limited due to construction. Colacurcio Brothers worked with the local volunteer fire department and the school district to ensure emergency response vehicles and school buses were not delayed during construction.

The constructed roundabout has greatly improved safety at this intersection by reducing vehicle conflict points by 75% and eliminating the most serious type of conflict, left-turn and head-on collisions, while providing a welcoming connection to the community.

11 of 18



Unusual Accomplishments & Adverse Conditions One of the most difficult aspects of the project was keeping traffic flowing during construction. The contractor accomplished this admirably with a large flagging crew, a willingness to make changes, clear signing and channeling devices, and verbal communication with drivers. There were no vehicle accidents during the life of the project, further supporting this accomplishment of the traffic control crew.

Daily construction and traffic

channelization.

12 of 18



Colacurcio Brothers and their 16 subcontractors worked long hours, accommodated requests from property owners, WSDOT, and the County, and worked nights when necessary. The skill and dedication of the workers is unmistakable when passing through the finished Project. It is a truly impressive venture demonstrating the smooth collaborative effort of our consultants, in-house staff, WSDOT, the local utilities, and construction crews.

The roundabout takes shape with the installation of over 5,000 LF of concrete curb and gutter, 8,280 SF of textured colored concrete truck aprons, 3,330 SF of sidewalk, and 6 ADA ramps, and a dedicated crosswalk.

13 of 18



The center of the island is a welcoming gateway to the roundabout. It is an attractive, sustainable design that includes an ultra-low-maintenance dry cobble streambed, native and drought tolerant landscaping (requiring no irrigation after establishment), and a striking natural stone welcome sign greeting users to the Skagit Valley. The landscaping design also allows flexibility for future artwork installations; the County and local high school have discussed the possibility of students producing artwork made from materials donated by a local industry.

The design echoes stream-edge landscapes of the Puget Sound region and uses low maintenance plant materials with interesting visuals year-round.

14 of 18



Additional Considerations Several design features were incorporated in the project that are interesting from an engineering and management perspective. This intersection improvement project is a great example of how to approach a project. It shows the value of comparing intersection alternatives to find the appropriate solution rather than defaulting to traditional traffic signals. In this case, the roundabout brought order and simplicity to a set of complex intersections that were not conducive to traffic signals. The primary social benefits of this roundabout project are an increase in safety and improved traffic flow. By combining the project intersections into a single-lane roundabout, vehicle conflict points were reduced by 75%. The most serious types of conflicts (left-turn and head-on collisions) have been eliminated. Drivers now only wait for an adequate gap to turn right into the roundabout. The delay at the intersection has significantly decreased and capacity has increased. Stormwater Management Filtration strips and a media filter installed in a nearby manhole are incorporated into the project to treat basic water quality before it enters the ditches and sloughs. Additionally, Reid Middleton recommended the integration of Low Impact Development (LID) by amending soils and minimizing total impervious areas. They designed the new stormwater system to treat runoff including enhanced treatment and determined that phosphorous control and flow controls were not required because the receiving water exempts them from these levels of treatment. They have designed the center of the roundabout and splitter islands to be permeable. This project is expected to improve surface water quality entering the drainage ditches by the creation of improved stormwater treatment facilities.

15 of 18



The sweep path for one of the largest Over-Sized Over-Weight (OSOW) vehicles, a 125-foot pole truck, created the need for a large truck apron on the roundabout’s five entries. The roundabout was designed to accommodate a variety of OSOW loads and non-standard agricultural equipment, which play a pivotal role in the County’s economy. The consultant worked closely with the adjacent truck-generating industries and local farming operations. Careful selection and placement of curbs, truck aprons, lights, and signs helped achieve a truck-friendly design that was economically feasible while providing safety for all users. The constructed roundabout provided an outstanding intersection solution. The design incorporated innovative elements, attractive landscaping, and provided a cost effective solution, while maintaining the aggressive schedule.

Reid Middleton analyzed and conducted studies on oversized

vehicles; adjacent truck-generating industries and local farming

operations were surveyed and field-tests were conducted to

compare the actual and simulated sweep paths, which gained the

industrial and farming communities’ confidence in the design.

16 of 18



Recycle of On-site Material The Project utilized on-site materials when possible. Asphalt grindings were used as base material in the roadway thereby reducing trucking time and material purchase. Existing concrete panels on Conway Frontage Road were left in place as a base for the new alignment. This saved on over-excavation, base material, crew time, and trucking time. Excess asphalt grindings were taken to the local County pit for re-use by County Road Crews. Clean gravel borrow from Roadway Excavation was also taken to the County pit for re-use. Colacurcio Brothers kept the material stockpiles consolidated in the pit.

Thanks to the efforts of all involved on the design and construction teams, this project was completed on time and approximately 12% under budget. The roundabout is operating efficiently, provides a welcoming gateway to the Skagit Valley, and has been well received by the community. Skagit County is delighted with the constructed project, and their collaborative effort ensured an aesthetic, safe, and well-functioning roundabout.

17 of 18



The Swinomish Indian Tribe performed a blessing of the roundabout at the ribbon cutting ceremony. That fact, combined with pictures of the completed roundabout, came to attention of FHWA’s Office of Safety. They are preparing a brochure to promote roundabouts within and adjacent to Tribal communities and chose this project for the cover.

Celebration of the Ribbon Cutting on August 11, 2014, with local dignitaries, design team, contractor, and funding partners for a successful project!!!

18 of 18

Documents

Public Works Project of the Year A w a r d Nomination Form