NE 10th Avenue

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10th Avenue Bridge after opening

Project update 

Clark County Public Works opened the 10th Avenue Bridge to traffic on Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019.

Project location

Northeast 10th Avenue, Northeast 154th Street to Northeast 164th Street

Capital road project

370922

Contractor

Cascade Bridge, LCC of Vancouver

Project specifics

Cascade Bridge, LLC widened Northeast 10th Avenue along the west side of Interstate 5 and built a 450-foot long bridge over Whipple Creek.

The two-lane steel and concrete bridge spans what used to be a gap on Northeast 10th Avenue because of Whipple Creek. The bridge is nearly 48 feet above Whipple Creek and was built to last for 75 to 100 years.

 

Map of Northeast 10th Avenue.

Prior to construction, parts of Northeast 10th Avenue in this area were between 10 and 20 feet wide, with little or no shoulders.

The project built one travel lane in each direction, along with bicycle lanes, sidewalks and facilities to collect and treat polluted storm runoff. Water and sanitary sewer lines were constructed as part of the project.

Northeast 10th Avenue’s intersections with Northeast 154th Street and Northeast 164th Street will have conventional two-way stop signs, with Northeast 10th Avenue as the through street.

Mitigation site

Find out what a property on the southeast corner of Northwest 41st Avenue and Northwest 179th Street has to do with the bridge and roadway improvements.
​10th Avenue bridge mitigation site (PDF)

Contractor

Clark County awarded a $14.62 million contract to Cascade Bridge, which submitted the lowest of the eight bids received for this project. The contractor’s bid was $1.54 million lower than the county’s estimate of $16.16 million.

Funding

Clark County received a $2.84 million federal Surface Transportation Program grant through the Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council and a $4.8 million state loan through the Washington State Public Works Board to help pay for the bridge and road project. The county is grateful for this financial support to help build infrastructure for a growing community.

Future project

Construction on a related project, improving Northeast 10th Avenue between Northeast 149th Street and Northeast 154th Street (Capital Road Project 323322) , is scheduled to begin in 2020. Construction will require closing this section of Northeast 10th Avenue to all traffic, although local access will be maintained for a small number of homes and other properties along this road section. Through traffic will need to use other routes. Residents on Northeast 154th Street and connecting roads will need to head north across the new bridge and continue north to Northeast 179th Street or west on Northeast 164th Street. Residents south of the construction zone can use Northwest 11th Avenue or other routes. Temporary signs will guide drivers to alternate routes. The improved roadway will cross an unnamed tributary of Whipple Creek just north of Northeast 149th Street. Designers are deciding if that will mean conveying the tributary through a culvert or building a small bridge over the creek. Depending on weather and other factors, the project could be built in a single construction season or take two seasons to build. Work in the unnamed tributary will be confined to a short period when construction will have the least effect on fish and other aquatic life.


Northeast 10th Avenue Creek Crossing website

 

Purpose and need

Northeast 10th Avenue bridge and roadway improvements:

  • Improved traffic circulation by closing a gap in the existing transportation grid system, upgrading a roadway that does not meet current county road standards and improving access to recreational facilities.
  • Enhanced public health and safety by providing an alternate route for emergency responders, constructing safe bicycle and pedestrian facilities and creating a secondary access to the Clark County Fairgrounds.
  • Supported existing land uses and zoning, including providing an opportunity to extend utility lines across Whipple Creek, improving access to existing commercial and industrial properties and supporting Clark County's 20-year comprehensive plan.

Previous projects

Clark County completed two projects in the area before beginning work on the 10th Avenue Bridge.

​ Northeast 139th Street interchange, looking to the north.

​Northeast 139th Street interchange, looking to the north.

The Salmon Creek Interchange Project was a $122.3 million joint project between Clark County Public Works and the Washington Department of Transportation. The project included a new interchange on Interstate 5 at Northeast 139th Street that opened in August 2014.

In addition, county roads were widened and improved on both sides of the freeway and the Salmon Creek Park & Ride lot was relocated for C-Tran buses.

The interchange project involved improving Northeast 10th Avenue, from Northeast Tenny Road to Northeast 141st Street. The county later built a separate project that improved Northeast 10th Avenue, from Northeast 141st Street to Northeast 149th Street.

Staff contact

For more information on Northeast 10th Avenue bridge and roadway improvements, please contact:

Troy Pierce, PE
Project Manager
Clark County Public Works
564.397.4403
troy.pierce@clark.wa.gov

Bart Arthur, PE
Construction Engineer
Clark County Public Works
564.397.4948
bart.arthur@clark.wa.gov