Date:
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Contact:
Joshua Cheatham, WSDOT Project Engineer, 253-872-2958 (Kent)
Greg Phipps, WSDOT Communications, 206-440-4702 (Seattle)
KENT – Safety upgrade work will close a State Route 167 off-ramp this weekend in downtown Kent.
At 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26, crews working for WSDOT will close the off-ramp to SR 516 (Willis Street) and the adjacent right lane of northbound SR 167. The ramp and lane will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 29. The northbound HOV lane near the off-ramp will be open to all traffic during the weekend closure.
Drivers who normally use the off-ramp to SR 516 will be detoured to the next exit (84th Avenue S./Central Avenue N.), and back onto SR 167 to the southbound off-ramp to SR 516. Drivers should expect a five to 10 minute delay as they travel the detour route. Drivers should also expect backups and delays on northbound SR 167 due to the lane closure, and should consider alternate routes.
During the closure crews will rebuild and widen the off-ramp to provide a smoother transition off of SR 167, which will reduce the risk of rear-end collisions. This work requires dry weather. A rainy forecast could delay the closure to another weekend.
Also this weekend, at 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26, crews will close the northbound SR 167 on- and off-ramps at 15th Street NW in Auburn for striping. The ramps will reopen by 5 a.m. Saturday. At 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, crews will close the two left lanes of northbound SR 167 from just north of SR 18 to 37th St NW for striping. The lanes will reopen by 8 a.m. Sunday.
In this project crews are rebuilding several ramps between Renton and Auburn to improve safety and relieve congestion. In summer 2007 crews completed widening SR 167 between 15th Street SW and 15th Street NW in Auburn to add a northbound high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane. For more details, visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR167/HOV15thSW_15thNW.
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