Date:  Monday, May 17, 2010

Contact: Dustin Terpening, WSDOT communications, 360-757-5997 (Burlington)
Dave Crisman, Project Engineer, 360-428-1593 (Mount Vernon)

Project completed months early and under budget
 
STANWOOD – All lanes of southbound I-5 will reopen by Thursday, May 20, near Stanwood just in time for the warmer weather and busier driving season. Two lanes have been closed since March while WSDOT crews removed and replaced more than a thousand broken and bumpy concrete panels.

“We’re finishing these much-needed repairs three to four months ahead of schedule, and it looks as though we’ll finish under budget too,” project engineer Dave Crisman said.

Construction began last summer on the $9.2 million concrete rehabilitation project, which was among more than 200 projects statewide funded by last year’s federal Recovery Act. Construction was put on hold during the wetter, colder winter months and resumed in March.

“If it wasn’t for the stimulus money, we wouldn’t have been able to fix the chewed up right lane,” engineering manager Marco Foster said. “It needed fixing in a bad way. And the added bonus was that the money also kept our contractor, a number of subcontractors and our engineers employed during tough economic times.”

Crews replaced 1,208 broken concrete panels along six miles of southbound I-5, between Starbird Road in Skagit County and State Route 532 in Snohomish County.

Drivers should expect minor delays as crews intermittently close lanes during the day May 17-20 to complete some remaining work and clean up and move out.

Approximately 59,000 vehicles use this stretch of I-5 daily. Repairing the pavement will reduce costly temporary repairs, provide drivers with a safe and smooth ride, and ensure that the roadway will last well into the future.

For more details visit the project Web site at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/sr532toStarbird/.

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