Washington Dept. of Transportation officials hope to finalize designs this summer for a 2.3-mi section of the $4.65-billion, 12.8-mi state Route 520 corridor improvement project, in Seattle, which includes the world�s longest floating pontoon bridge. Photo: WSDOT Project floating along On-site work is under way for new pontoon construction, which is part of the expanded Washington state corridor connecting Seattle to points east. WsDOT is working with the City of Seattle, the University of Washington, King County Metro and Sound Transit on design decisions regarding the westside section of the corridor. That section includes the planned expansion of an interchange

Washington state Dept. of Transportation (WsDOT) officials hope to finalize designs this summer for a 2.3-mile section of the $4.65-billion, 12.8-mile state Route 520 corridor improvement project, in Seattle, which includes the world’s longest floating pontoon bridge. Photo: Washington State Dept. of Transportation Project floating along On-site work is under way for new pontoon construction (above), which is part of the expanded Washington state corridor (below) connecting Seattle to points east. + Image WsDOT is working with the City of Seattle, the University of Washington, King County Metro and Sound Transit on design decisions regarding the westside section of the

Crews have filled in about 80% of nine voids leftover from a 2-mile tunneling job through Seattle�s Beacon Hill. Japan�s Obayashi Corp. did not discover the voids while boring the parallel, 1-mile tunnels as part of its $280-million contract, which has since increased to $312 million. Owner Sound Transit contends the contractor is at fault. Photo: Sound Transit Crews pump low-density concrete into tunnel voids found by drilling. The new, $2.6-billion, 16-mile Link Light Rail from downtown Seattle south to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport required tunnels and a station 180 ft deep beneath Beacon Hill. Obayashi in 2004 won the contract

Crews have filled in about 80% of nine voids leftover from a 2-mile tunneling job through Seattle’s Beacon Hill. Japan’s Obayashi Corp. did not discover the voids while boring the parallel, 1-mile tunnels as part of its $280-million contract, which has since increased to $312 million. Owner Sound Transit contends the contractor is at fault. Photo: Sound Transit Crews pump low-density concrete into tunnel voids found by drilling. The new, $2.6-billion, 16-mile Link Light Rail from downtown Seattle south to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport required tunnels and a station 180 ft deep beneath Beacon Hill. Obayashi in 2004 won the contract

Vancouver, B.C.’s planned $458-million renovation of BC Place, the province’s largest stadium, already has paid dividends. Las Vegas-based Paragon Gaming announced in March it would lease the property adjacent to build a $450-million entertainment complex, complete with a 24-hour casino, five restaurants and two hotels. Operations are set to start in 2013. Photo: Paragon Gaming An entertainment complex will abut BC Place by 2013, according to Paragon Gaming’s plan. The 76,000-sq-meter fabric cover at BC Place—the largest air-supported roof in the world—will soon become the world’s largest cable-supported retractable roof. Work starts this month with a winterization program. The 27-year-old

The Washington State Dept. of Transportation escaped one last schedule hurdle in its planned opening of the new, $519.8-million state Route 120 Hood Canal Bridge, thanks in part to the ample time allotted for functional testing of the new west-half lift span.

Enbridge Inc. is itching to get going on its proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline stretching from outside Edmonton, Alberta, to Kitimat, B.C. Initially introduced in 2005, the 727-mile pipeline project is headed to Canada's National Energy Board and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency for joint review "very soon," according to Jennifer Varey, spokesperson. If approved, construction could start in 2012. Calgary, Alberta,-based Enbridge plans to transport 525,000 barrels per day of petroleum in the 36-inch west-moving pipeline and 193,000 barrels per day of condensate—a product used to thin petroleum products for pipeline transport—in the 20-inch east-moving line. The project, estimated at

A massive highway renovation is unfolding only minutes away from Vancouver’s Winter Olympics, and the centerpiece will be a new cable-stayed bridge crossing the Fraser River from Surrey to Coquitlam. Photo: Transportation Investment Corp. Staging area adjacent to new bridge where pieces of the structure are arranged. At 1.2 miles in length including approaches, the bridge will be one of the longest of its kind in North America. Part of a 22.9-mi, $2.33-billion overhaul of Highway 1, the principal corridor in the greater Vancouver area, the project is designed to ease congestion, especially on the existing Port Mann Bridge. Financing

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council�s latest energy plan calls for 85% of new energy needs over the next 20 years to be met through efficiency. Area utilities aren�t so sure of its feasibility. Portland General Electric spokesperson Steven Corson says that the 85% goal can�t be met �cost effectively� and is not realistic with current technologies and Suzanne Hartman of Seattle City Light says that it is �uncertain� if that goal can be met region-wide, although SCL will save enough energy in the next five years to equal the capacity of a new power plant. The Sixth Northwest Power