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Washington State Department of Transportation

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	Topics Washington State Department of Transportation Topic Home History WSDOT was originally founded as the Washington State Highway Board and the Washington State Highways Department on March 13, 1905, when then-governor Albert Mead signed a bill that gave $110,000 USDFacts About United States dollar For details of current paper money and coins, see Federal Reserve Note and United States coinage.... to fund new roads that linked the state. The State Highway Board was managed by State Treasurer, State Auditor, and Highway Commissioner Joseph M. Snow and the Board first met on April 17, 1905 to plan the 12 original state roads. The first state highway districts, each managed by a District Engineer, were established in 1918. During this period, the construction of highways began. In 1921, the State Highway Board was replaced by the Washington Highway Committee and the Washington State Highways Department became a division of the Washington State Department of Public Works. The first gas tax (1¢Cent (United States coin) The United States one-cent coin, commonly called a penny, is a unit of currency equaling one-hundredth of a United Sta... per gallon) was levied and Homer Hadley started planning a pontoon bridgeFacts About Pontoon bridge Pontoon bridges are floating bridges supported by barge-or-boat-like pontoons to support the bridge deck and its dynamic loa... across Lake WashingtonLake Washington Lake Washington is the second largest natural lake in Washington State, USA, after Lake Chelan, and the largest lake in King... , which would later become the Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge, which opened on July 2, 1940. In 1923, the State Highways Department separated from the Public Works Department and organized the first official system of highways, Washington's state road system. In 1926, the U.S. government approved the U.S. route system, which connected the country by road. 11 U.S. Routes entered Washington at the timeList of U.S. Routes in Washington U.S. Routes in Washington are owned and maintained by the U.S.... . Later in 1929, the Highway Committee was merged with the State Highways Department. The Lake Washington Floating Bridge and the Tacoma Narrows BridgeTacoma Narrows Bridge The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is a mile-long suspension bridge with a main span of 2800 foot that carries Washington State Route... opened in 1940, but the Tacoma Narrows BridgeTacoma Narrows Bridge The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is a mile-long suspension bridge with a main span of 2800 foot that carries Washington State Route... collapsed on November 7, 1940. On June 29, 1956, PresidentPresident of the United States The President of the United States of America is the head of state of the United States.... Dwight Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, popularly known as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act, was enacted ... , which started the Interstate Highway SystemInterstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly called the Interstate Highway Syste... . Originally, 2 Interstates entered WashingtonList of Interstate Highways in Washington This is a list of Interstate Highways in Washington, all of which are owned and maintained by the U.S.... . Starting in 1961, the Interstate Highways started to be built. There were 2 more Interstates to build and most work was not completed until the 1970's. In 1964, the Highways Department was renamed to WSDOT and the state highways were renumbered1964 state highway renumbering (Washington) In 1964, the Washington State Department of Transportation created a new numbering system, the State Route system, out of the exis... to the current systemState highways in Washington In the U.S. state of Washington, the Washington State Department of Transportation maintains a network of over 7000 miles of sta... . Metro TransitMetro Transit There is more than one public transit system named Metro Transit.... was created in 1972 and work on highways continued very fast. The North Cascades Highway (SR 20) was completed in 1972 and the first HOV lanesHigh-occupancy vehicle lane In transportation engineering and transportation planning, a high-occupancy vehicle lane is a lane for vehicles with a driv... in Washington were installed on SR 520 in 1972. The Washington State Transportation Commission was established in 1977 and the first meeting was held on September 21, 1977. On February 13, 1979, the western pontoons of the Hood Canal BridgeHood Canal Bridge The Hood Canal Bridge is located in Washington state on Washington State Route 104 and connects the Olympic Peninsula and the Kits... were swept away by a wind storm. In 1980, Mount St. HelensMount St. Helens Mount St. Helens is an active stratovolcano in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America... erupted and caused damage to many state highways, mainly SR 504. The Hood Canal Replacement BridgeHood Canal Bridge The Hood Canal Bridge is located in Washington state on Washington State Route 104 and connects the Olympic Peninsula and the Kits... opened on October 3, 1982 and the Lacey V. Murrow Memorial BridgeLacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge External links References... collapsed on November 25, 1990. In 1991, a smaller renumbering of state highways occurred. The renumbering produced some new highways and either realigned or removed highways from the system. In 1996, Sound TransitSound Transit Sound Transit has been the popular name of Washington state's Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority since 1996.... was formed and in the same year, the Washington State Transportation Commission adopted its first 20-year transportation plan. Throughout the 1990's, WSDOT focused more and more on rail systems and partnered with AmtrakAmtrak Amtrak is the brand name of the United States' intercity passenger train system created on May 1, 1971.... to make a train route that went from Canada to Oregon, which would later become the Amtrak CascadesAmtrak Cascades The Amtrak Cascades is a passenger train route operated by Amtrak in partnership with the states of Washington and Orego... . The 2001 Nisqually earthquake damaged most state highways around the Seattle metropolitan areaSeattle metropolitan area The Seattle metropolitan area in Washington, USA includes the city of Seattle, King County, Snohomish County, and several su... and most of the budget was turned over to the Puget SoundFacts About Puget Sound Puget Sound is a sound connected to the Pacific Ocean via the Strait of Juan de Fuca in the Pacific Northwest of the United... region to help rebuild and repair roads and bridges. Administration WSDOT divides WashingtonFacts About Washington Washington is a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.... into 6 regions, the OlympicOlympic Peninsula The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington state that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle.... , NorthwestPuget Sound Puget Sound is a sound connected to the Pacific Ocean via the Strait of Juan de Fuca in the Pacific Northwest of the United... Southwest, North Central, South Central, and Eastern. The Northwest Region is further divided into 3 more regions, which are King CountyFacts About King County, Washington King County is located in the U.S.... , Snohomish CountySnohomish County, Washington Snohomish County is a county located in the U.S.... , and Baker. WSDOT is overseen by the Governor of Washington, who currently is Christine GregoireChristine Gregoire Overview Christine "Chris" O'Grady Gregoire is the Democratic governor of the U.S.... . The Secretary of Transportation, Paula Hammond, also oversees WSDOT. Ferries WSDOT manages the official ferry service in Washington. WSDOT's ferry service, called Washington State Ferries, is the largest in the United StatesUnited States Summary The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is... and third largest in the world. Ferries had been in the Puget SoundPuget Sound Puget Sound is a sound connected to the Pacific Ocean via the Strait of Juan de Fuca in the Pacific Northwest of the United... since the 1950's. There are 10 routes and 28 ferries currently operating. Current Projects There are currently about 250 projects that WSDOT is currently planning or constructing. Some of the most notable projects that were recently finished include the Tacoma Narrows BridgeTacoma Narrows Bridge The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is a mile-long suspension bridge with a main span of 2800 foot that carries Washington State Route... project, which added a southern span to the original bridge, the SR 167 HOT lanesHigh-occupancy toll A high-occupancy toll is a toll enacted on single-occupant vehicles who wish to use lanes or entire roads that are designate... project, which added HOT lanes over SR 167's existing HOV lanesFacts About High-occupancy vehicle lane In transportation engineering and transportation planning, a high-occupancy vehicle lane is a lane for vehicles with a driv... from the SR 18 area to 180th Street, and the I-5Interstate 5 in Washington Interstate 5 is a major interstate highway going from California to Washington.... HOVHigh-occupancy vehicle lane Summary In transportation engineering and transportation planning, a high-occupancy vehicle lane is a lane for vehicles with a driv... extensions project, which extended the HOV lanes in EverettEverett, Washington Everett is a city located in Snohomish County, Washington.... from the I-5/SR 99/SR 526/SR 527 interchange to the I-5/US 2U.S. Route 2 in Washington In the U.S. state of Washington, U.S. Route 2 is the northernmost all-weather highway through the Cascade Mountains.... /SR 529 Spur interchange. Some of the main projects in the future include the Alaskan Way ViaductAlaskan Way Viaduct Overview The Alaskan Way Viaduct is an elevated section of Washington State Route 99 that runs along the Elliott Bay waterfront in Se... , the SR 520 Floating BridgeEvergreen Point Floating Bridge image=Evergreen Point Floating Bridge.jpg... , the ferry terminalsFacts About Washington State Ferries Washington state maintains the largest fleet of passenger and auto ferries in the United States and the third largest in the world... , the I-5Interstate 5 in Washington Interstate 5 is a major interstate highway going from California to Washington.... Crash barrierCrash barrier Overview A crash barrier** is a barrier on a road designed to prevent vehicles from leaving the carriageway to improve road safety.... project, SR 704, and more. See also U.S. Department of Transportation State highways in WashingtonState highways in Washington In the U.S. state of Washington, the Washington State Department of Transportation maintains a network of over 7000 miles of sta... External links