Date:
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Contact:
Jamie Holter, Communications, (206) 440-4472 (Seattle)
Connie Lewis, Public Information, (Everett) (425) 405.1796
EVERETT – Nighttime Interstate 5 drivers through Everett can breathe a sigh of relief as crews last night successfully completed installing the first set of girders over the freeway at Everett’s 41st Street Bridge.
This is first step in the re-build of Everett’s 41st Street Bridge signals major progress in Washington State Department of Transportation’s plan for a new urban interchange at I-5 and 41st Street..
Crews successfully set 10 of 25 concrete girders this week, after closing I-5 in Everett for three nights in a row. The final 15 girders, each 157 feet long and weighing 82 tons, will be installed in early September when drivers will again be faced with at least three late night freeway closures.
The 41st Street Bridge is scheduled to re-open by Thanksgiving. Work on the interchange at 41st Street should be complete in 2007.
What’s next?
I-5 at 41st Street in Everett will again be fully closed for at least three days in September to install the final 15 girders that will support the 41st Street Bridge over the freeway. Once the bridge is completed, it will be wider than it is long.
Where are the closures?
On I-5 in Everett at exit #192, between Broadway Avenue and just north of 41st Street
When is the next closure?
- Tuesday night, September 5 – Thursday night, September 7: Northbound and southbound I-5 in Everett will be completely closed between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. the following morning. The first lane northbound will close at 9 p.m. and the first lane southbound will close at 7 p.m. All northbound and southbound lanes will be open by 4 a.m. If an additional night is needed to complete the work, it will probably be Friday night, September 8.
What are the detours?
- Northbound I-5: Exit at Broadway Avenue (exit #192), follow detour signs to the right at the bottom of the ramp, and move into the left two lanes as the detour route curves to the left onto the northbound I-5 on-ramp.
- Southbound I-5: Exit at 41st Street, merge into the right lane and follow the sign to the I-5 southbound on-ramp. At the bottom of the ramp, turn right and cross Broadway Avenue, moving into the left lane and continuing onto southbound I-5.
We need drivers’ help. Major I-5 closures are difficult, and even with crews working off-peak hours, freeway backups can occur. We ask that drivers alter their late night and early morning commutes accordingly to reduce significant delays.
To keep drivers safe, crews must detour traffic off the freeway and completely close both directions of I-5. Drivers should allow extra commute time if traveling through the construction area during late evenings and early mornings. Neighbors living close to the construction or detour routes may be bothered by night noise, lighting, and detour traffic.
The bridge girders, fabricated by Tacoma Washington’s Concrete Technologies, are part of a $260 million project to expand I-5 through Everett. Re-building the 41st Street Bridge is the first segment of the new 41st Street / Everett interchange expected to open in 2007. The completed interchange will feature on-ramps and exit ramps for both the northbound and southbound I-5 lanes.
Completion of the entire I-5 Everett Improvement project will give northbound and southbound drivers an additional lane in both directions on I-5 between 41st and US 2, an expanded HOV lane between SR 526 and East Marine View Drive, a new I-5/41st Street Interchange, and dozens of new safety, traffic flow, and environmental improvements.
Crews recently opened the new right-hand Broadway Avenue exit to drivers and are at work modifying the now closed, former left-hand Broadway exit. This left side exit will be re-opened sometime next summer as an HOV-only northbound exit and southbound entrance. Once the new 41st Street interchange is completed, a 41st Street exit ramp will open directly to 41st Street from I-5 northbound, beginning at the Broadway Flyover exit.
Find more information about the I-5 Everett Freeway Expansion by visiting the project Web page at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/i5/hovsr526tous2/ or sign up for WSDOT Snohomish County project updates delivered right to your e-mail inbox by visiting www.wsdot.wa.gov/Regions/NorthWest/Snohomish/Snohomish_Listserve.htm
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