In this editorial, The News Tribune takes aim at the WA State Department of Transportation - in a complimentary way - at the speed and efficiency in which it handled the collapse of the Skagit River Bridge on May 23. The replacement opened Sept. 15.
It's not every day that a newspaper credits a state department of transportation for superb work, especially when it comes to bridge replacement. [Ask any Bay Area newspaper how they feel about the "11 years of construction and $6.4 billion taxpayer dollars" effort to replace the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge]. But The News Tribune did not hold back in praising the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) after the May 23, dramatic bridge collapse that snarled international traffic to and from Canada on I-5.
WSDOT’s response was magnificent. Almost immediately, it had temporary detours in place. Within days, it was assembling permits and pursuing plans to create a temporary span [reopening on June 18], a permanent replacement and a rebuild of the entire overhead support structure.
Last Sunday, Sept. 15, the 500-ton temporary bridge was swapped for "the new 900-ton permanent span, and the replacement bridge was open for business 66 days after the collapse. The final cost was well below the $15.6 million federal emergency grant, and the job was done more than two weeks before deadline," according to the editorial.
How did they accomplish this task so rapidly? The editors explain:
WSDOT streamlined the project with a design-build approach, which lets the contractor integrate engineering with construction. Recognizing the emergency, other agencies — including the Coast Guard, Department of Ecology, Federal Highway Administration, Army Corps of Engineers — fast-tracked a plethora of environmental permits and approvals.
The newspaper did manage to get some digs into the paper, as one might expect from the fourth estate.
WSDOT is currently getting pilloried — and rightfully so — for design errors that are requiring more than $200 million in repairs to pontoons on the Highway 520 floating bridge over Lake Washington. But the Skagit bridge project shows that the department is capable of extreme competency in a pinch.
The editorial ends on a timely, suggestive note: "Transportation money would be much easier to come by in Washington if citizens knew their tax dollars would always be spent with so much efficiency and success." The legislative season ended in July with no transportation funding plan passed - due, perhaps ironically, to another, far bigger bridge on I-5: The Columbia River Crossing, that is also in need of replacement. Gov. Jay Inslee may wish to cite this editorial in his current push to pass a transportation budget.
FULL STORY: WSDOT builds miracle bridge over Skagit

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie