Date:
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Contact:
Dave Chesson, WSDOT Communications, (360) 757-5970 (Burlington)
MOUNT VERNON – Crews plan to remove trees along Interstate 5 in Mount Vernon for the next two Sundays after high winds and heavy rain March 11 forced them to postpone the work.
State Department of Transportation workers will close a ramp and lane of southbound I-5 to remove 23 poplar trees along the highway because they threaten traffic and nearby homes.
Without help from drivers, the closures will cause significant delays and backups.The delays could be as long as an hour and stretch up to two miles, according to WSDOT traffic engineers. Drivers can help by taking alternate routes and rescheduling their trips.
WSDOT will plant cedar trees to replace the poplars.
Closure
Crews will close the southbound on-ramp and right lane of I-5 at Kincaid Street (exit 226) to remove trees on the west side of the highway from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sunday March 18, and Sunday, March 25.
If the backup reaches two miles, crews will stop work after 11 a.m. If crews have to stop early, then WSDOT will extend the tree removal work to a third weekend to make up for lost time.
The 75-foot tall poplar trees could fall, posing a threat to drivers and nearby residents.
"Several large branches have fallen during recent wind storms," said WSDOT Maintenance Superintendent Ted Dempsey. "It’s essential we get these trees down before one comes down across the highway."
For safety of the crews and drivers, crews will remove the trees during daylight hours with the help of a crane.
Drivers wanting to bypass the work can take SR 20 (exit 230) or SR 538 (exit 227) and head east to SR 9, then drive south to SR 534 in Conway, and head west back to I-5.
While the Kincaid Street on-ramp is closed, drivers on Kincaid Street will be detoured to the Anderson Road on-ramp (exit 225).
WSDOT needs drivers to:
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