Date:  Monday, April 05, 2010

Contact: Mike Westbay, WSDOT Region Communications Manager, 509-728-4712 (Yakima)
Paul Gonseth, WSDOT Project Engineer, 509-577-1810 (Yakima)
Meagan McFadden, WSDOT Communications 509-577-1618 (Yakima)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WSDOT starts improving I-82 off ramp to relieve traffic congestion on Terrace Heights Drive in Yakima

Expect delays next few weeks eastbound on Terrace Heights Drive, consider alternate route to Terrace Heights.

YAKIMA – WSDOT has contracted with Granite North West, Inc. to improve traffic flow for the westbound I-82 off-ramp at Terrace Heights. This $1.2 million project will construct an additional eastbound lane on Terrace Heights Drive, from I-82 to 17th Street in Yakima, and upgrade the traffic signal at the ramp terminal.
Starting April 5, construction crews will eliminate the existing center turn lane on Terrace Heights Drive and shift eastbound and westbound traffic into two lanes in each direction to make room for embankment construction. The contractor will maintain two lanes of traffic in each direction on Terrace Heights Drive during daylight hours while the embankment for the new eastbound lane is constructed. Granite NW plans to have this project completed by Memorial Day Weekend.
Drivers will need to be alert and follow directions from orange signs, cones, and electronic message boards that will guide them through the traffic shift in the work zone.
Drivers heading to Terrace Heights should consider using SR 24 eastbound, to University Parkway northbound, to Terrace Heights Drive as an alternate route.
Project Benefits
• Improved traffic flow - Drivers will have a free right turn onto the new eastbound lane from the I-82 westbound off ramp to the 17th Street signalized intersection.
• Safety – WSDOT is reducing the risk of collisions by improving visibility and eliminating the need to merge with eastbound through traffic. The westbound I-82 off ramp/Yakima Avenue traffic signal will be upgraded.
For more information on this project visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I82/TerraceHeights/.
For more information on maintenance, utilities, and construction projects visit: 
www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/i82/terraceheights/

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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 www.wsdot.wa.gov/news for pictures, videos, news and blogs. Real time traffic information is available at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic or by dialing 5-1-1.

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