Date:  Friday, May 21, 2010

Contact: Kevin Miller, Southwest Region Design Office, (360) 905-1565 (Vancouver)
Heidi Sause, WSDOT Communications, (360) 905-2057 (Vancouver)

CHEHALIS - The Washington State Department of Transportation is encouraging residents and business owners in the Centralia area to attend an open house next week to learn about the I-5, Mellen Street to Blakeslee Junction project. Following the open house, WSDOT will host a formal access hearing where affected property owners can provide testimony on the proposed access plans for the interstate improvement project.

Tuesday, May 25
Open House: 4 – 6 p.m. (stop by anytime)
Access Hearing: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
WSDOT Chehalis Project Office
1411 Rush Road
Chehalis, WA 98532

Open house attendees can gain the latest information on details of the project, speak with project staff and ask questions or provide comments. WSDOT staff will also be available to discuss related projects on the I-5 corridor, including the I-5, Blakeslee Junction to Grand Mound project, which will begin construction this summer.

At the access hearing, WSDOT staff will present proposed access plans and document affected property owner testimony.

The 2005 gas tax funded I-5, Mellen Street to Blakeslee Junction project is the fourth and final phase in delivering $390 million in safety and mobility improvements on 18 miles of I-5 in Lewis and Thurston counties. The project constructs Collector Distributor lanes between Mellen Street (Exit 81) and Harrison Avenue (Exit 82) interchanges, makes safety improvements to both interchanges, and improves the I-5 curve at Blakeslee Junction.

The project is scheduled to start construction in 2012 and be complete in 2014.

Project information may be reviewed and obtained prior to the access hearing by visiting the project Web page at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/MellentoGrandMound/phase3, or by contacting the Project Engineer. For those unable to attend the meeting, public testimony can be mailed to:

Area Engineer Kevin Miller
WSDOT SW Region Design Office
PO Box 1709
Vancouver, WA 98668-1709
E-mail: swclark@wsdot.wa.gov 
Phone: (360) 905-1565 or fax: (360) 905-2061

The site of the access hearing is accessible to persons with disabilities.

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WSDOT keeps 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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