Date:
Monday, October 23, 2006
Contact:
Leo Scafturon, Project Manager, (253) 534-3090
Kelly Stowe, Olympic Region, (360) 357-2716
A WSDOT cable-barrier installation project beginning this week in Gig Harbor will provide a higher level of safety for motorists on SR 16 and SR 3.
“WSDOT’s cable-barrier program has been tremendously successful in improving safety on our highways,” said Don Clotfelter, Olympic Region maintenance manager. “Already, we have several examples in which collisions were prevented by these cable barriers.”
Crews will install a section of cable median barrier between Olympic and Wollochet drives in Gig Harbor starting Thursday night, Oct. 26. That work will require left-lane weekday closures in both directions in the work area between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The location of the lane closures will change as crews complete sections of cable barrier on 21 miles of SR 16 and SR 3 in Pierce and Kitsap counties. Sumner-based Peterson Brothers is installing over 94,000 feet of cable barrier as part of this project, which is scheduled for completion March 31. The work is weather dependant.
WSDOT will issue updates on lane closures as the work progresses. Drivers can also check for weekly construction and traffic updates by visiting http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/regions/olympic/construction/.
This work, funded by the 2005 Transportation Partnership Program, is part of an $8.8 million project to install about 70 miles of cable median barrier in eight counties and on nine different highways across Washington.
Cable median barrier is proven to reduce the risk of injuries and fatalities in median crossover accidents. This type of barrier helps protect motorists by providing a netting effect, flexing up to 12 feet. According to statewide statistics, 95 percent of cars that hit cable barrier are stopped from crossing the median. For more information on cable barrier, visit our website at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/CableBarrier.
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