Date:  Friday, February 19, 2010

Contact: Denys Tak, WSDOT Project Engineer, (800) 545-1393 (toll-free in Kelso)
Annie Linstrom, WSDOT Communications, (360) 905-2079 (Vancouver)

Recovery Act dollars fund Tier 2 project to improve 20 miles of I-5 in Cowlitz and Lewis counties

KELSO – WSDOT’s contractor, Kerr Contractors, Inc. of Woodburn, Ore. is gearing up to pave and upgrade guardrail on 20 miles of I-5 starting Wednesday, February 24. This $6.1 million contract includes $5.6 million in Recovery Act funds and is part of a continued effort to improve safety and preserve the structural integrity of I-5 between Kelso and Centralia.

Crews will begin safety improvements on northbound I-5 between the Kelso Weigh Station and the SR 504 junction near Castle Rock in Cowlitz County (mile posts 43 to 50). Crews will then head north to install guardrail and signage along 13 miles of I-5 in Lewis County. Installation work will require some lane and shoulder closures on the interstate.

Resurfacing work will begin in April and drivers can expect daytime single lane closures and night time double lane closures on I-5 southbound during paving operations. Construction is expected to wrap up in August.

This is a companion project to a Tier 1 Recovery Act project, I-5, North Kelso to Castle Rock – Concrete Rehabilitation, completed in November of last year. The project repaired and replaced damaged concrete panels on I-5 and repaved the interstate’s northbound lanes on 14 miles of interstate through Cowlitz County.

Lower bids have allowed WSDOT to stretch Recovery Act dollars to fund this Tier 2 project, which will wrap up paving and guardrail work on I-5 in Cowlitz County and extend safety and mobility improvements into southern Lewis County. By the end of January, WSDOT had awarded 37 state stimulus projects with bids averaging 28 percent under engineer’s estimates.

As of February 9, 2010, WSDOT and local governments completed 91 out of a total of 195 highway projects. Through December 2009, workers have logged more than 1.36 million labor hours on Recovery Act projects, earning nearly $51.8 million in wages. Average wage paid for the work is more than $38 per hour.

For more project details, visit the Web page: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/NKelsoToHarrisonPaving/.

For weekly traffic impacts in the region, please visit WSDOT Southwest Region Weekly Travel Advisory Web page: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Regions/SouthWest/Construction.

Washington State is administering the Recovery Act investments with an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability. Gov. Gregoire has created a new website, www.recovery.wa.gov, enabling every Washingtonian to see where their tax dollars are going and hold government accountable for the results. On the federal level, President Obama has appointed Vice President Biden, a proven and aggressive Inspector General, to oversee all state’s recovery efforts and root out waste and fraud. This combined oversight will ensure taxpayer dollars aren’t wasted. 

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WSDOT's mission is to keep people, businesses and the economy moving by operating and improving the state's transportation systems. To learn more about what we're doing, go to http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/newsfor pictures, videos, news and blogs. Real time traffic information is available at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/trafficor by dialing 5-1-1.

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