Date:
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Contact:
WSDOT Communications, 206-440-4788 (Seattle)
WSDOT Public Hotline, 206-440-4704 (Seattle)
SEATTLE - Paving crews on the I-5 construction project in Seattle will be on the lookout for liquid sunshine Sunday morning.
Crews are scheduled to start work at 6 a.m. Sunday, but it could be a day of rest for them if rain falls steadily throughout the day. Despite the threat of rain the project will remain on schedule for completion by 5 a.m. on Aug. 25. Rain would not affect work to replace expansion joints on northbound I-5 between Spokane Street and I-5.
Construction
Crews took advantage of the mostly dry weather Saturday to place a significant amount of new pavement. On the right side of the work zone crews paved a 15-foot wide swath extending 2100 feet north from Spokane Street. On the left side they paved a 12-foot wide section extending 1600 feet north of Spokane Street. Saturday also saw crews complete the bulk of work on another six expansion joint replacements on the west half of the freeway. Eightteen of the 34 expansion joints on the west half are now complete except for paving up to the edges of the joints.
Traffic
Backups extended 2.7 miles to Michigan Street by mid-morning and held steady into the evening despite events despite a Mariner's game and a concert at Key Arena. Travel times from the start of the backup through the work zone averaged between 13 and 16 minutes with speeds ranging from 10 to 15 mph. Drivers looking for a way to avoid the congestion should consider State Route 99, Airport Way, Fourth Avenue S., First Avenue S. and East Marginal Way as these routes flowed smoothly on Saturday. WSDOT also encourages travelers to use transit, carpool, and avoid or reschedule trips, as only two lanes of northbound I-5 will be open for the duration of the project. The West Seattle Bridge/Spokane St. on-ramp is closed until Monday at 5 a.m.
Early Sunday morning WSDOT maintenance crews will cover the yellow "exit only" text on the Exit 164A sign to help drivers in the right lane know they can stay in their lane and stay on I-5. Crews also add a shield for I-5 on the Exit 164A sign and installed an orange sign on the right side of the freeway that reads "I-5 NORTH" and has arrows for both lanes. WSDOT traffic engineers hope these measures will convey to drivers that both lanes can be used for northbound I-5. However, they will continue to monitor the situation and make further modifications as needed.
Weekend events
WSDOT reminds drivers that Hempfest goes all weekend at Myrtle Edwards Park. On Sunday, the Mariners play at 1:05 p.m. and the Danskin Triathlon will have the I-90 express lanes closed until 11 a.m.
Drivers can plan their route at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/SpokaneStreetBridgeRepair/AlternateRoutes.htm. Keep track of construction work as it happens at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/SpokaneStreetBridgeRepair/traffic.htm
For project details, resources available to get drivers through these closures, and suggestions for alternate routes, please visit the project Web site at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/SpokaneStreetBridgeRepair/
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