WSDOT report offers data on pavement work, traffic

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) released its quarterly Gray Notebook report last week. The report offers an in-depth update on pavement-preservation efforts.

The report said the backlogs regarding road preservation are long, and that it may be a while before drivers see any improvements on paved roads. Although some improvements were made in 2013, the WSDOT is seeing a $750 million deficit for payment preservation over the next six years, resulting in a 60 percent shortfall in funding.

This edition of the Gray Notebook also detailed the department’s efforts to improve non-motorist safety, as well as  the efficiency of the highway maintenance program and how it is responding to snow and ice removal, bridge painting and congestion. WSDOT saw a 1 percent drop in reaching highway maintenance goals in 2014, meeting only 79 percent of them.

The Gray Notebook also said that from 2009 to 2013, 66 percent of fatal crashes involving bicycles and pedestrians happened in urban areas. In addition, tolling transactions went from $35 million in 2013 to $36.1 million in 2014, a 3.1 percent increase.

The 56th edition of the Gray Notebook added interactive maps for readers to better understand the department’s ferry and rail programs.

Daniela Bremmer, director of Strategic Assessment and Performance Analysis, said, “These maps allow our audience to experience the information in a new way. The data and maps complement each other and offer easier access to performance information.”