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Mountain Loop Highway

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Mountain Loop Highway
Route information
Maintained by Snohomish County and USFS
Length55 mi[1] (89 km)
HistoryCompleted in 1941[2]
Tourist
routes		Mountain Loop National Forest Scenic Byway
Major junctions
West endStanley Street in Granite Falls
Major intersections  SR 92 in Granite Falls
East end  SR 530 in Darrington
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountiesSnohomish
Highway system
National Forest Scenic Byway

The Mountain Loop Highway is a scenic highway in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The highway runs for 55 miles (89 km) between the towns of Granite Falls and Darrington, traversing a section of the Cascade Mountains along the South Fork Stillaguamish River and Sauk River. It is designated as a National Forest Scenic Byway and follows a section of Federal Forest Highway 20 (FFH 20), which is jointly maintained by the county government and the United States Forest Service (USFS).

Route description

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The Mountain Loop Highway begins in downtown Granite Falls at the intersection of Stanley and Alder streets. The highway travels north on Alder Street and leaves the city, intersecting the terminus of State Route 92 (SR 92), the main driving route to other areas of Snohomish County, near the city's large gravel mine. It crosses the South Fork Stillaguamish River above the eponymous Granite Falls and makes a gradual turn to the east, passing several housing subdivisions and another large mine. The Mountain Loop Highway continues southeast along the river, passing several farms and ranches in the Robe Valley. At Verlot, the highway enters the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and becomes concurrent to FFH 20.

The Mountain Loop National Forest Scenic Byway and FFH 20 designations start at the boundary of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Robe.

History

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  • 1936-03-23: Construction begins with the dismantling of the abandoned Hartford Eastern Railway between Hartford and Monte Cristo[2]
  • 1941-12: Construction finished at Barlow Pass[2]
    • Shortly before Pearl Harbor attack, which brought gasoline rationing and little use for the highway[4]
  • 1958: USFS and Snohomish County sign cooperative agreement to jointly maintain the Mountain Loop Highway[5]
  • 1961: Forest Highway designated[6]
  • 1990-05-07: Designated as National Forest Scenic Byway[7]
    • Also cited as 1991[3]
  • 2001: State government proposes to fund paving of last section for $20 million; Darrington residents lobbied against paving to preserve isolation?
  • 2003-10-21: Heavy rains and flooding washes out roadway and bridges, forcing closure of Mountain Loop Highway[8][9][10]
  • 2007-10-26: 5-mile damaged section reopened, at a cost of $790,000[11]
  • 2008-06-28: Mountain Loop Highway reopened for the first summer since flooding[12]
  • 2014: 2014 Oso landslide forces early opening of Mountain Loop as a detour for closed SR 530[13]
  • Long-range plan to pave 14 miles of gravel receives support[14]
  • 2026: Planned replacement of Granite Falls Bridge 102 (built in 1934)[15]
    • Funded with $22.1 million RAISE grant[16]

Major intersections

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The entire highway is in Snohomish County.

LocationmikmDestinationsNotes
Granite Falls0.00.0Stanley StreetWestern terminus, continues as Alder Street
0.71.1 
  SR 92 west – [[, Washington|]]
Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest12.520.1Western terminus of National Forest Scenic Byway
3150Barlow Pass
Gap in pavement
50.581.3Eastern terminus of National Forest Scenic Byway
Darrington5589  
  SR 530 to I-5 – Rockport, Arlington		Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

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  1. ^ "Mountain Loop Scenic Byway". Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. United States Forest Service.
  2. ^ a b c Cameron, David A. (March 4, 2008). "A key part of the work to build the scenic Mountain Loop Highway linking Granite Falls to Darrington (Snohomish County) begins on March 23, 1936". HistoryLink.
  3. ^ a b Johnston, Greg (August 28, 2002). "A ring of beauty: The Mountain Loop Highway leads to treasures". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  4. ^ Cameron, David A.; Grimes, Lynne; Wyatt, Jane (2005). Snohomish County: An Illustrated History. Index, Washington: Kelcema Books. p. 253. ISBN 0-9766700-0-3. OCLC 62728798.
  5. ^ Haglund, Noah (November 9, 2010). "Who should maintain the Mountain Loop Highway?". The Everett Herald. Archived from the original on November 12, 2010.
  6. ^ https://flh.fhwa.dot.gov/projects/wa/mountain-loop/documents/Meeting-Presentation.pdf
  7. ^ "Mountain Loop Scenic Byway Official Designations". America's Byways. Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on August 26, 2013.
  8. ^ Brooks, Diane (November 1, 2003). "Storm ravaged the mountains". The Seattle Times.
  9. ^ Whitely, Peyton (May 19, 2003). "Scenic forest route remains out of the loop". The Seattle Times.
  10. ^ Brooks, Diane (November 19, 2003). "Where floods did their most damage to trails, forest roads". The Seattle Times.
  11. ^ Grind, Kristen (October 31, 2007). "Mountain towns, visitors back in loop". The Seattle Times.
  12. ^ Gilmore, Susan (June 27, 2008). "Darrington, Granite Falls to celebrate reopening of Mountain Loop Highway". The Seattle Times.
  13. ^ Gonzalez, Angel; Higgins, John (March 27, 2014). "Darrington commuters brace for lengthy journey". The Seattle Times.
  14. ^ https://www.heraldnet.com/news/options-for-improving-mountain-loop-to-be-laid-out-in-study/
  15. ^ https://snohomishcountywa.gov/608/Mt-Loop-Hwy-Br-102---Granite-Falls-TBD
  16. ^ https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=1C00E0F3-AEFE-4136-8DA5-93BCC2647549
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mountain Loop Highway.

Washington State Department of Transportation

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Washington State Department of Transportation
Department overview
FormedSeptember 27, 1977 (1977-09-27)
Preceding agencies
  • Washington State Department of Highways
  • Washington State Aeronautics Commission
  • Washington State Toll Bridge Authority
  • Washington State Canal Commission
TypeDepartment of transportation
JurisdictionState of Washington
Headquarters310 Maple Park Avenue SE
Olympia, Washington
Employees6,318
Annual budget$5.132 billion (2015–2017)[1]
Department executive
  • Roger Millar, Acting Secretary of Transportation
Child department
Websitewsdot.wa.gov

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is a government agency that manages transportation in the U.S. state of Washington, including roads, bridges, public transportation, railroads, aviation and ferries.

History

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Timeline
  • 1905-03-13: Governor Albert Mead signs legislation creating the office of the State Highway Commissioner and three-member State Highway Board
  • 1905-04-17: First meeting of the State Highway Board under Highway Commissioner Joseph M. Snow; funds for 12 state roads appropriated, biennial program developed
  • 1911-03-08: Governor Marion E. Hay signs "Permanent Highway Act", imposing state control over major highways and levying a one-mill road tax
  • 1921: State Highway Commission re-organized as a division within the Department of Public Works; five-member State Highway Board replaced by three-member State Highway Commission
  • 1921-03: First state gasoline tax levied, one cent per gallon to raise $900,000 annually
  • 1923: State highways transferred to new department under the State Highway Engineer
  • July 10, 1934: State Highway Department moves to new headquarters,[2] designed by Joseph Wohleb and constructed in six months (began February 20, 1934)
  • 1951-06-01: WSF officially begins operating former Black Ball routes in the Puget Sound, as part of the Washington Toll Bridge Authority; $5 million paid for 16 ferryboats and 20 terminals[3][4]
  • 1970: Governor Evans again proposes a Department of Transportation[5]
  • 1977-09-27: WSDOT created to succeed Highway Department, the Aeronautics Commission, the Toll Bridge Authority, and the Canal Commission, among others; 7-member State Transportation Commission also created to manage and guide the new department[6][7]
Resources

Administration and management

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  • State Secretary of Transportation (until February 2016): Lynn Peterson, replaced by Roger Millar
    • Appointed by governor, confirmed by legislature

Budget

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Regional management

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Regions
  • Eastern: Adams, Ferry, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Whitman; headquartered in Spokane
  • North Central: Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Okanogan; headquartered in Wenatchee
  • Northwest: Island, King, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, Whatcom; headquartered in Shoreline
  • Olympic: Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kitsap, Mason, Pierce, Thurston; headquartered in Tumwater
  • South Central: Asotin, Benton, Columbia, Franklin, Garfield, Kittitas, Yakima, Walla Walla; headquartered in Union Gap
  • Southwest: Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Pacific, Skamania, Wahkiakum; headquartered in Vancouver

Divisions

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Aviation

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Bridge and Structures

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Highways and Local Programs

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Public Transportation

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  • Travel Washington inter-city buses

Rail

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Toll Division

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Traffic Operations

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Washington State Ferries

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Main article: Washington State Ferries

Programs

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Facilities

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Statistics (2016)[8]
  • Basic Statistics
    • 18,689 miles (30,077 km) of total lane miles owned by the state
    • 22 ferry vessels on 9 routes with 20 terminals
    • 3,288 state-owned bridges
  • Transit
    • 31 local transit systems
    • 4 Travel Washington intercity bus lines
    • 2,898 vanpools (largest fleet in the nation)
2012 Statistics[9]: 3 
  • 9,000 miles of highway
  • 40,000 miles of county road
  • 16,000 miles of city streets
  • 7,600 bridges and structures
  • 23 ferries (10.9 million vehicles and 23 million passengers annually)
  • 31 local transit systems (212 million passenger trips annually)
  • 16 state-operated airports
  • 4.5 million licensed drivers (DOL)
  • 6.9 million registered highway vehicles

References

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  1. ^ Peterson, Lynn, ed. (September 2014). "Executive Summary". 2015-2017 Biennial Budget Request (PDF) (Report). Washington State Department of Transportation. p. 6.
  2. ^ https://des.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-06/NewhouseHABS-DocumentationReport2004-06-25.pdf
  3. ^ Stein, Alan J. (January 20, 2003). "Washington State Ferries begins operations on June 1, 1951". HistoryLink.
  4. ^ Cunningham, Ross (May 27, 1951). "State Will Take Control of Ferries Friday Morning". The Seattle Times. p. 12.
  5. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/clip/23564966/evans_dot_bill/
  6. ^ Oldham, Kit (March 15, 2005). "Legislature creates Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) effective September 21, 1977". HistoryLink.
  7. ^ Mertena, Bill (September 19, 1977). "Want to roll dice for drinks? It's OK as of tomorrow". The Seattle Times. p. A14.
  8. ^ Peterson, Lynn (January 13, 2016). "2016 State of Transportation" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation.
  9. ^ Washington State Senate Transportation Committee (2012). "The 2012 Citizen's Guide to the Washington State Transportation Budget" (PDF). Washington State Legislature.
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Renton S-curves

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The Renton S-curves[1][2] are a series of curves on Interstate 405 in Renton, Washington that are notorious as a traffic bottleneck.

Definition

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  • I-405 in downtown Renton, between SR 167 and SR 900?
  • AADT

Causes

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  • Northbound traffic from SR 167 forced to merge quickly (until 2010)
  • Only 4 lanes until 1995 project
  • Between hill and downtown
  • Closely-spaced interchanges (1/4 mi apart)
  • Obscured sight distances on northernmost part[3]

History

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Straightening project (1990–1995)
  • 1986: WSDOT proposes straightening of S-curves[4]
    • 425 accidents between 1981 and 1984
    • Construction from 1988 to 1991
  • 1990: Project begins with water main relocation[5]
  • 1995: Widened and straightened segment opens[3]
    • 22 homes demolished in 1990
    • Hill cut away and road relocated 160 feet to the east, grade lowered by 35 feet
    • HOV lanes added
Further improvements
  • 2010-12-21: New merge-exit lanes open in both directions[6]
Future
  • Express Toll Lanes extension

Cultural references

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  • "Ahead of the Curve" marketing adopted in 1998[7]
    • "Curve Card" program in 2009[8][9]

References

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  1. ^ Gilmore, Susan (June 30, 2002). "Bumper to Bumper: Straight talk on S-curves, traffic lingo". The Seattle Times.
  2. ^ "Incident Abbreviations". Washington State Department of Transportation.
  3. ^ a b Westneat, Danny (March 1, 1995). "But Drivers Will Find S Still Stands For Slow - There's Less S in the Renton S-Curves". The Seattle Times. p. A1 – via NewsBank. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Schuster, Julie (July 8, 1986). "State Wants the Kinks Out of S Curves - Renton's Frustrating Road Would Be Wider, Straighter". The Seattle Times. p. B1 – via NewsBank. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Aweeka, Charles (September 25, 1990). "S-Curves on I-405 to be Straight - First, Water Pipes will be Rerouted". The Seattle Times. p. D3 – via NewsBank. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "New merge-exit lanes to open in Renton S-curves". The Seattle Times. December 17, 2010.
  7. ^ http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19990218&slug=2944940
  8. ^ http://www.rentonreporter.com/life/presenting-shop-renton-buy-ahead-of-the-curve/
  9. ^ https://komonews.com/archive/renton-offers-reward-card-thats-good-all-over-town
Resources
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