WSR 26-17-033
PROPOSED RULES
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
[Filed August 11, 2026, 10:27 a.m.]
Original Notice.
Preproposal statement of inquiry was filed as WSR 26-05-034.
Title of Rule and Other Identifying Information: Amending WAC 468-16-130 pertaining to classes of work for contractors prequalified to perform highway construction.
Hearing Location(s): On Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 9:00 a.m., virtual hearing in Microsoft Teams at https://bit.ly/WAC-468-16-130-Sept-24-2026. To join the virtual hearing, use the web address shown for the hearing location or dial in by phone at +1 206-531-0324,,823312392# for United States, Seattle. You can use this link to find a local number https://dialin.teams.cloud.microsoft/039e7852-bef4-4986-949b-6b82f4e2095f?id=823312392, Phone Conference ID 823 312 392#.
For further details about joining a Microsoft Teams meeting, visit https://aka.ms/JoinTeamsMeeting?omkt=en-US.
Date of Intended Adoption: September 24, 2026.
Submit Written Comments to: Jenna Kemp, 1655 South 2nd Avenue S.W., Tumwater, WA 98512, email jenna.kemp@wsdot.wa.gov, fax 360-705-6810, beginning the date and time of this filing, by September 23, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.
Assistance for Persons with Disabilities: Contact Washington state department of transportation (WSDOT) Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) office, phone toll-free 855-362-4ADA(4232), TTY 711, email wsdotada@wsdot.wa.gov, by September 16, 2026.
Purpose of the Proposal and Its Anticipated Effects, Including Any Changes in Existing Rules: WSDOT has determined that there are two additional types of work in which we would like to establish contractor experience to ensure that contractors have the necessary experience, organization, and technical qualifications to perform the proposed contract. The new classifications are high friction surface treatment and movable bridge construction.
Reasons Supporting Proposal: Establishing the new classifications to qualify contractors under will ensure that these types of contracts are performed by qualified vendors in the future.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 47.01.101, 47.28.030, and 47.28.070.
Rule is not necessitated by federal law, federal or state court decision.
Name of Proponent: WSDOT, governmental.
Name of Agency Personnel Responsible for Drafting, Implementation, and Enforcement: Jenna Kemp, Tumwater, Washington, 360-705-7017.
A school district fiscal impact statement is not required under RCW 28A.305.135.
A cost-benefit analysis is not required under RCW 34.05.328. This is not required because WSDOT is not subject to RCW 34.05.328 (5)(a)(i) and has not made RCW 34.05.328 applicable to this rule.
This rule proposal, or portions of the proposal, is exempt from requirements of the Regulatory Fairness Act because the proposal:
Is exempt under RCW 19.85.025(4).
Explanation of exemptions: WSDOT's prequalification process is no cost to vendors. This change simply adds new types of work and would not change the process or effort required to become prequalified, which remains no cost and unchanged.
Scope of exemption for rule proposal:
Is fully exempt.
August 11, 2026
Sam Wilson, Director
Business Support Services
RDS-6985.3
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 15-01-170, filed 12/23/14, effective 1/23/15)
WAC 468-16-130Prequalification work classes.
A contractor seeking prequalification under this chapter will be classified for one or more of the following listed work classes in accordance with the adequacy of the firm's equipment and plant facilities and its demonstrated ability to perform the work class sought.
Class 1
Clearing, grubbing, grading and draining
 
Removal of tree stumps, shrubs, modification of the ground surface by cuts and fills, excavating of earth materials, placement of drainage structures, and construction of structural earth walls.
Class 2
Production and placing of crushed materials
 
Production and placing crushed surfacing materials and gravel.
Class 3
Bituminous surface treatment
 
Placing of crushed materials with asphaltic application.
Class 4
Asphalt concrete paving
 
Production and placing Asphalt Concrete Plant Mix Pavement.
Class 5
Cement concrete paving
 
Production and placing cement concrete pavement.
Class 6
Bridges and structures
 
Construction of bridges and other major structures of timber, steel, and concrete.
Class 7
Buildings
 
Construction of buildings and related structures and major reconstruction and remodeling of such buildings.
Class 8
Painting
 
Painting bridges, buildings, and related structures.
Class 9
Traffic signals
 
Installation of traffic signal and control systems.
Class 10
Structural tile cleaning
 
Cleaning tunnels, large buildings and structures and storage tanks.
Class 11
Guardrail
 
Construction of a rail secured to uprights and erected as a barrier between, or beside lanes of a highway.
Class 12
Pavement marking (excluding painting)
 
Thermoplastic markings, stripes, bars, symbols, etc. Traffic buttons, lane markers, guide posts.
Class 13
Demolition
 
Removal of timber, steel, and concrete structures and obstructions.
Class 14
Drilling and blasting
 
Controlled blasting of rock and obstructions by means of explosives.
Class 15
Sewers and water mains
 
Draining, pipe jacking, water systems, pumping stations, storm drainage systems, sewer rehabilitation, sewage pumping stations, pressurized lines.
Class 16
Illumination and general electrical
 
Highway illumination, navigational lighting, wiring, junction boxes, conduit installation.
Class 17
Cement concrete curb and gutter
 
Sidewalks, spillways, driveways, monument cases and covers, right of way markers, traffic curbs, and gutters.
Class 18
Asphalt concrete curb and gutter
 
Sidewalks, spillways, driveways, monument cases and covers, right of way markers, traffic curbs, and gutters.
Class 19
Riprap and rock walls
 
Mortar, rubble, and masonry walls; rock retaining walls, and placing of large broken stone on earth surfaces for protection against the action of water.
Class 20
Concrete structures except bridges
 
Cast-in-place median barrier, prestressing, post-tensioned structures, footings, prefabricated panels and walls, retaining walls, and ramps, foundations, rock bolts, and concrete slope protection.
Class 21
Tunnels and shaft excavation
 
Tunnel excavation, rock tunneling, and soft bore tunneling.
Class 22
Piledriving
 
Driving concrete, steel, and timber piles.
Class 23
Concrete surface finishes
 
Architectural concrete surface finishes (fractured fin, random board, exposed aggregate, etc.). Waterproofing concrete surfaces (clear or pigmented sealer).
Class 24
Fencing
 
Wire and metal fencing, glare screens.
Class 25
Bridge deck repair
 
Bridge expansion joint repair and modification, bridge deck resurfacing and repair, deck seal.
Class 26
((Not used))High friction surface treatment
 
High quality aggregate and polymer binder installation.
Class 27
Signing
 
Sign structures and sign foundations.
Class 28
Drilled large diameter slurry shafts
 
Drilled shafts 4' diameter or larger and greater than 15' deep when excavation is performed utilizing the wet method and concrete is placed by tremie methods under slurry.
Class 29
Slurry diaphragm and cut-off walls
 
Slurry excavation and the construction of structural concrete walls and slurry cut-off walls.
Class 30
Surveying
 
Highway construction surveying.
Class 31
Water distribution and irrigation
 
Irrigation systems and heavy duty water distribution.
Class 32
Landscaping
 
Landscape irrigation, planting, sodding, seeding, fertilizing, mulching, herbicide application, insecticide application, weed control, mowing, liming, soil binder, topsoil.
Class 33
Engineering
 
Work other than surveying, including engineering calculations, drawing and other related work for highway construction.
Class 34
Erosion control
 
Seeding, fertilizing, mulching, slope protection, topsoil application, hydro-seeding, soil stabilization, soil sampling.
Class 35
Precast median barrier
 
A concrete barrier that is cast and cured in other than its final position used to divide the median of two adjacent highways or temporarily placed to divert traffic in construction zones.
Class 36
Earth retention and anchoring
 
Installation of permanent soil nails, soldier piles, timber lagging and micropiles. Soldier pile tie-back anchor wall construction.
Class 37
Impact attenuators
 
Installation of approved protective systems filled with sand, water, foam, or other substances which prevent errant vehicles from impacting roadside hazards.
Class 38
Paint striping
 
Painted bars, letters, symbols, and striping.
Class 39
Slope protection
 
The installation of a zinc coated steel wire mesh anchored by wire rope and reinforced concrete posts or anchor rods. Used for dampening the effects of rolling rocks onto the highway. Slope scaling, horizontal drains, rock dowels, and rock bolts for slope stabilization.
Class 40
Gabion and gabion construction
 
Construction of walls made with containers of galvanized steel hexagonal wire mesh and filled with stone.
Class 41
Intelligent transportation systems (ITS)
 
Traffic sensors systems, highway advisory radios, environmental sensing stations, variable message signs, nonfiber optic based closed circuit television, and video systems.
Class 42
Electronics - Fiber optic based communications systems
 
Design and installation of fiber optic based communication systems.
Class 43
Mechanical
 
Plumbing work and the installation of heating or air conditioning units.
Class 44
Asbestos abatement
 
Asbestos abatement (L & I certified workers).
Class 45
Hazardous waste removal
 
The containment, cleanup, and disposal of toxic materials. Companies seeking this classification shall have full-time personnel with current hazardous waste training (certifications).
Class 46
Concrete restoration
 
Pavement subseal, cement concrete repair, epoxy coatings, epoxy repair, masonry repair, masonry cleaning, special coatings, epoxy injection, gunite, shotcrete grouting, pavement jacking, gunite repair, and pressure grouting.
Class 47
Concrete sawing, coring, and grooving
 
Concrete sawing, concrete planing, grinding, grooving, bump grinding, joint repair, concrete coring and rumble strips.
Class 48
Dredging
 
Excavating underwater materials.
Class 49
Marine work
 
Underwater surveillance, testing, repair, subaquatic construction, anchors, and cable replacement, floating concrete pontoon repairs and modifications, disassembly and assembly of floating concrete pontoons.
Class 50
Ground modification
 
Pressure grouting, blast densification, stone column, jet grouting, compaction, dynamic compaction, soil mixing, gravel drain.
Class 51
Well drilling
 
Drilling wells, installing pipe casing and pumping stations.
Class 52
Sewage disposal
 
Hauling and disposing liquid and solid wastes.
Class 53
Traffic control
 
Providing piloted traffic control, traffic control labor, and maintenance and protection of traffic.
Class 54
Railroad construction
 
Construction of railroad subgrade, placing of ballast, ties, and track and other items related to railroad work.
Class 55
Steel fabrication
 
Welding of steel members, heat straightening steel.
Class 56
Street cleaning
 
Street sweeping with self-propelled sweeping equipment.
Class 57
Materials transporting
 
Truck hauling.
Class 58
Sand blasting and steam cleaning
 
Steam cleaning, sand blasting, shot blasting, and water blasting.
Class 59
Movable bridge installation and rehabilitation
 
Construction, repair, or alteration of counterweight and operating wire ropes, counterweight and deflector sheaves, counterweights, trunnions and trunnion bearings, movable spans and leaves, span drive motors, hydraulic span drive and auxiliary drive systems, motor control centers, span drives, programmable logic control and relay control systems, span locks, motor and machinery brakes, drive machinery, warning gates and barrier gate systems.