Date:  Thursday, June 10, 2010

Contact: Denys Tak, WSDOT Project Engineer, (800) 725-9669 (Vancouver) toll-free
Heidi Sause, WSDOT Communications, (360) 905-2057 (Vancouver)

Paving and safety work may cause delays of up to 20 minutes on the highway

ARIEL – Drivers traveling on SR 503 to the northern shore of Lake Merwin this summer should pack their patience. Paving and safety work on a $2.5 million Recovery Act funded paving project begins next week, and could cause delays of up to 20 minutes on SR 503 between Rock Creek Bridge and Fredrickson Road (mileposts 35.5 to 46.0). WSDOT’s contractor, Kerr Contractors, Inc. of Woodburn, Ore., began mobilizing equipment in May, and drivers will begin to see traffic impacts Monday, June 14.

Construction may cause short term delays, but the project increases driver safety in the long run. This section of SR 503 carries an average of 16,000 vehicles per day. Paving and upgrading guardrail and road markings will preserve the road’s surface, reduce maintenance costs and improve safety and mobility for all drivers.

Contractor crews will close one lane of SR 503 at a time to grind pavement, resurface the roadway, and retrofit and install new guardrail. Pilot cars and flaggers will direct traffic in alternating directions through the work zones throughout the project, which is expected to be complete in September. Crews will focus on guardrail upgrades in the initial phase of construction, and begin paving work in July.

This project is funded through state funds and received $2.3 million in Recovery Act funds earlier this year. The contract was awarded to Kerr Contractors, Inc. on April 16, bringing WSDOT another step closer to completing delivery of Recovery Act funds to highway construction projects.

Washington State received nearly $500 million in Recovery Act funds for state and local highway construction projects. As of June 9, 96 percent of those projects had been awarded for construction, and employees had worked 2 million payroll hours on Recovery Act funds.

For more information about the project, please visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR503/RockCreektoFredricksonPaving/.

Washington State is administering the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investments with an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability. Gov. Gregoire created a Web site, www.recovery.wa.gov/, so every Washingtonian can see where tax dollars are going and hold government accountable for the results.

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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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