Date:  Friday, July 23, 2010

Contact: Denys Tak, WSDOT Kelso Area Engineer, (800) 545-1393 (Kelso) toll free
Abbi Russell, WSDOT Communications, (360) 690-5367 (Vancouver)

New pavement failed testing and will be replaced at no cost to taxpayers

CASTLE ROCK – WSDOT will remove one mile of asphalt along I-5 that was recently paved after it failed to meet standards. The asphalt will be removed and replaced at no cost to taxpayers.

Through routine quality-control testing, WSDOT inspectors identified that the new asphalt on southbound I-5 near Headquarters Road (mileposts 45.8-46.9) needs to be removed and repaved because it does not meet WSDOT compaction standards.

The paving work is part of the current Recovery Act funded I-5, North Kelso to Harrison Avenue paving and safety project.

Approximately 2,400 tons of asphalt was laid down Saturday night, July 17, by WSDOT’s contractor, Kerr Contractors Inc. of Woodburn, OR. An inspection of the newly placed material revealed that approximately 1,000 tons of asphalt was not compacted enough to meet WSDOT standards, and a secondary test verified the results.

As soon as the issue was identified, Kerr Contractors agreed to replace, at their cost, approximately $60,000 worth of material.

“It’s unfortunate that this happened,” said Kelso Area Engineer Denys Tak. “The project has gone well thus far. We are very pleased with the work Kerr Contractors is doing. This was just a bad batch of pavement, and we caught the quality discrepancy very quickly.”

Crews plan close two lanes of southbound I-5 at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 24, to grind out the substandard asphalt and repave the right lane. The work is scheduled to be completed by 9 a.m. Sunday.

Pavement that doesn’t meet WSDOT compaction standards degrades quickly and doesn’t hold up under the heavy I-5 traffic volumes.

WSDOT is committed to ensuring that the highest quality materials are used on the highway system. Materials are tested at intervals throughout the construction process to ensure that products meet state standards defined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

The project’s schedule is not affected by this repair work, and work is still on track to be complete by the end of the summer.

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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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