Traffic fatalities up; Status of ferries and bridge decks decline slightly

Bridges owned by the Washington State Department of Transportation, as of June 2016, met an annual performance goal of having at least 90 percent of deck area in fair or better condition, despite a slight decrease from one year ago.

In its 62nd edition of the “Gray Notebook” quarterly performance report, WSDOT examines the reasons 92.1 percent of WSDOT bridges by deck area were in fair or better condition in 2015 and notes why they declined to 91.2 percent in 2016.

Highlights from this edition of the “Gray Notebook” include:

The percent of WSDOT ferries vessel systems overdue for replacement increased from 9 percent in fiscal year 2015 to 11 percent in 2016. WSDOT had 87 percent of its ferry terminal systems in fair or better condition in 2015, a 1.6 percentage point decrease from 2014.

Washington had 567 roadway fatalities in 2015, a 22.7 percent increase from the 462 in 2014. During the same period, there was a 3.6 percent increase in vehicle miles traveled in Washington from 2014 to 2015 that potentially resulted from an improving economy and lower fuel prices.

WSDOT corrected 10 fish passage barriers in 2015, improving fish access to 46 miles of potential upstream habitat.

On the web:  www.wsdot.wa.gov/Accountability/

– Washington State DOT