Date:  Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Contact: Jamie Holter, WSDOT Communications, 206.714.1636

Crews restripe I-5 tonight, WSDOT web team unveils new traffic maps, and WSP details how troopers will help keep traffic moving

SEATTLE – The countdown is on. Only 48 hours until WSDOT contractor crews close multiple lanes and ramps on northbound I-5 in downtown Seattle around the clock for up to 19 days. Tonight and tomorrow morning, drivers will notice significant changes to I-5 and Airport Way that remind drivers that 48 hours may be a lot sooner than they realize. Lane and ramp closures are scheduled to be in place at 10 p.m., Friday, August 10

I-5 lane closures tonight
Between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. tonight, crews begin closing multiple lanes of northbound I-5 to restripe the road surface as they prepare to install concrete barrier. Tomorrow morning, drivers will notice the left lane is only 10 feet wide with little shoulder. The second and third lanes on I-5 will be 13 feet wide. Drivers will also notice the HOV lane will be open to all vehicles from Corson St. through the work zone (Spokane St to I-90).

Overnight, crews will also remove the covers from signs that designate the far right lane of northbound Airport Way as truck, transit, and vanpool only. Seattle police will enforce this truck/transit restriction Thursday morning.

New WSDOT traffic information Web page
Today, WSDOT launches a new traffic information Web page that pulls together all the resources about I-5 Seattle construction traffic effects in one Web page; www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/SpokaneStreetBridgeRepair/traffic.htm Drivers can use this tool before leaving home or work to make decisions about their trip during the 19 days of around-the-clock lane closures.

Resources available include:

• Updated traffic information about alternate routes and I-5 approaching the construction zone. Collisions, stalls and other unforeseen incidents will be posted here as conditions change.
• Construction updates including project schedule changes, project milestones and information to help drivers navigate through the construction zone.
• Camera links including both city of Seattle DOT cameras and WSDOT cameras near the project area displayed on an interactive Google map. Drivers can monitor traffic conditions near key intersections on alternate routes including SR 99 at the 1st Ave S. Bridge, mid-span on the West Seattle Bridge and 1st Ave S and Holgate Street.

During the closures WSDOT will ramp up staffing in the Traffic Management Center up to 18 hours a day. This will allow traffic engineers and communications staff to deal with emerging issues near the work zone and relay information to drivers and the media during extended commute hours.

WSP helps with airplanes
The Washington State Patrol Aviation Section will re-assign several FLIR equipped aircraft to help WSDOT and local King County troopers with the scheduled I-5 closures. These specially equipped aircraft will be able to provide live streaming video of the effected roadways and the established detour routes to the WSDOT traffic management center and emergency operations center.

By providing flexible video capabilities in areas that are not equipped with fixed traffic cameras, it will provide enhanced response times to clearing collisions or blocking disabled vehicles. It allows WSDOT to see locations better.

During the morning and evening peak commute hours, the FLIR airplanes will patrol the alternate routes that will include the following areas: 1st Ave S. and 4th Ave S, alternate routes west of I-5 and east of I-5, SR’s 99, 518 & 509, I-405 and I-90.

WSP makes maximum use of new Instant Tow program
WSP troopers will also use the new Instant Tow program to keep traffic moving on all routes. This program allows WSP communications personnel to dispatch tow trucks to blocking collisions and disabled vehicles before troopers actually arrive at the scene. This change in procedure shortens the response times of towing agencies that are needed to remove blocking vehicles.

During the scheduled closure additional troopers have been assigned to staff key locations on a variety of routes. They will be strategically located to respond to situations that might disrupt the flow of traffic on the selected alternative routes. They will be in constant communication with the FLIR equipped WSP aircraft as well as the WSDOT traffic management center and the WSDOT emergency operations center.

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