Local Briefly
Published 10:36 pm Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Damaged girder removed for I-5 construction
EVERETT — Crews punched a hole in the middle of southbound I-5 in Everett, and that’s a sign of progress on a construction project.
State officials on Wednesday said construction workers removed a damaged girder that supports the freeway over Pacific Avenue. To do so, they had to create the hole.
A truck carrying an excavator struck and damaged the 95-foot-long girder in December 2006. Crews are expected to install a new girder this weekend, said Pat McCormick, chief engineer for the state’s Everett I-5 widening project.
The eight-week project started last week, creating a construction zone in the middle of the freeway. Drivers have been weaving around the work zone. Speed limits have been reduced from 60 mph to 50 mph in the work zone.
The split of traffic hasn’t caused any accidents, state officials said.
@3. Headline News Briefs 14 no bold lede-in:Codey Porter’s funeral service set for Saturday
Funeral services for Codey Porter, the 10-year-old Everett boy who died Monday after a weekend accident in a sandbox, are scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at Gold Creek Community Church, 4326 148th St. SE, near Mill Creek.
Porter was a fifth-grader at Silver Firs Elementary in Everett. He stopped breathing Saturday after being buried headfirst while playing in a backyard sandbox. He died Monday afternoon at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle.
A memorial fund has been set up for Codey through Gold Creek Community Church. Donate are accepted online at www.goldcreek.org.
Olympia: Gregoire gets transportation plan
A statewide transportation plan with new funding for safety projects on U.S. 2, replacement ferries for the retired Steel Electric-class vessels and concrete barriers on a deadly stretch of I-5 is headed to the governor.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the 2008 supplemental budget on a 67-28 vote. The Senate endorsed the spending package one day earlier by a 45-4 margin.
All legislators representing Snohomish and Island counties supported the revised two-year $7.5 billion transportation budget.
It includes $14 million for improvements on U.S. 2 and $26.9 million to install concrete barriers in place of cables on northbound I-5, two highways where there have been a number of fatal accidents in recent years.
The budget also directs the Washington State Patrol to assign six troopers to patrol U.S. 2.
The Legislature wants to spend $85 million for three vessels to replace the boats pulled from service in November between Whidbey Island and Port Townsend. This is $15 million less than proposed by Gov. Chris Gregoire, though she is expected to accept the lower sum.
From Herald staff reports
