Will state road projects resume with lifting of COVID-19 construction restrictions?
Sixty-five Washington state transportation projects, including two I-5 improvements in Pierce County, that have been suspended since the coronavirus outbreak last month could resume under new guidelines announced Friday.
The projects were suspended largely for safety reasons, and the new directive from Gov. Jay Inslee sets up strict requirements that have to be in place before construction can begin again.
It was not clear Friday what projects would resume, or when. The suspended projects included the I-5 from Portland Avenue to Port of Tacoma Road and I-5 from Steilacoom-DuPont Road to Thorne Lane.
Transportation Secretary Roger Millar described a scenario where, he said, “Construction and maintenance work will look different in the months ahead.”
“Workers will wear more PPE (personal protective equipment), including eye protection, masks and gloves, and sites will be more sanitary with cleaning and disinfecting a priority,” Millar said.
“This initial stage will help us set guidelines for future phases, as we determine best practices for specific tasks. We’ll learn lessons along the way and have some setbacks, but we will get through this.”
Contractor crews will need to show how they will adhere to a list of 30 safety protocols.
They’ll have to have specific safety plans for the construction site and regular pre-activity meetings to ensure compliance.
“No job site may operate until the contractor can meet and maintain all requirements, including providing materials, schedules and equipment required to comply,” Millar said.
Construction and maintenance crews will also have to complete mandatory COVID-19 training and comply with the safety requirements.
“We will not take these safety rules lightly — a site-specific COVID-19 supervisor designated by the contractor will be at every job site to monitor the health of employees and enforce the COVID-19 job site safety plan,” Millar said.
Transportation department field inspectors at the construction sites and maintenance supervisors will monitor work activities. They’ll be able to shut down a job site or maintenance if the protocols are not followed.
Just how long any project can continue is another matter.
Millar said recently that Washington’s transportation programs are facing losses of up to $100 million a month, a 38% shortfall that he said could affect construction and maintenance of highways, rail, traffic control and other projects.
He urged help from the federal government, telling the state’s congressional delegation in a letter, “Federal assistance is urgently needed in order to prevent major disruptions to our ability to operate and maintain our transportation system during this unprecedented emergency.”
He said that over the past six weeks, since the coronavirus outbreak all but shut down the state, traffic has been reduced an average of 45%, he said. Transit and ferry ridership have dropped 75%, and use of toll roads is down significantly.
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