Date:
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Contact:
WSDOT Communications, 206-440-4788 (Seattle)
WSDOT Public Hotline, 206-440-4704 (Seattle)
SEATTLE – Crews rushed to work when the weather cleared yesterday and completed paving more than 10,000 linear feet on the mainline and shoulders by late last night.
Their hard work is paying off; despite the weather challenges of the past few days, crews are optimistic that they can have the northbound I-5 lanes through downtown Seattle open by 5 a.m. Saturday morning.
Construction
Without the threat of rain, crews returned to the construction site today at 6 a.m. and started laying the first fresh pavement of the morning by 8:30 a.m. They will work throughout the day to pave the mainline, shoulders and the areas near the expansion joints.
Traffic
During the heaviest part of the Wednesday morning commute, travel times reached 35 minutes from the start of the back-up at Albro Place to the end of the project. The average speed during this time clocked in at 5 mph. Airport Way, 1st and 4th Avenues provided good alternate routes.
Yesterday, drivers continued to help keep traffic moving. The number of vehicles on northbound I-5 at Boeing Access Road was down 40% from the same time in 2006, while northbound I-405 and SR 99 saw an increase of about 10 percent.
Tonight, crews will reduce northbound I-5 through the construction zone to one lane from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and direct all northbound I-5 traffic to the collector-distributor. Drivers will not be able to access the 4th Avenue and Seneca exits during this time.
The Spokane Street/West Seattle Bridge on-ramp to northbound I-5 will be closed tonight and Thursday night from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. The S. Columbian Way on-ramp to northbound I-5 remains closed for the duration of this project.
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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