Date:  Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Contact: Neal Uhlmeyer, Project Engineer, 360-412-3420
              WSDOT Communications, 360-357-2789

LAKEWOOD – Two more weekends of major lane closures and delays on Interstate 5 are coming to the Lakewood area as crews rehabilitate even more rutted and damaged concrete on the 50-year-old roadway.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is replacing 80 additional worn and broken roadway panels this fall, thanks to savings from other federal stimulus projects. Doing the work this construction season with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will avoid the need to use state funds next spring for this work.

“We are able to make taxpayers’ dollars go further due to the favorable bid climate,” said Washington Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond. “This work will give drivers a better and more reliable road for decades to come.”

The end result will be that motorists will have a quieter and smoother drive with fewer ruts, bumps and cracks, and the roadway’s life will be extended about 20 years. Drivers need to be prepared for delays.

“Major backups are possible during the next round of weekend closures and we will rely heavily on drivers avoiding the area,” said WSDOT Region Administrator Kevin Dayton. “The last time we had this type of closure, motorists listened to our pleas to avoid I-5 in Lakewood and we saw traffic volumes drop by over 40 percent with backups reaching six miles – four miles less than anticipated. We are going to need drivers’ cooperation again.”

Closures are scheduled Sept. 24-26 and Oct. 1-3, weather permitting. The two additional weekends of lane closures add to the nine that occurred between May and June on a 25½-mile rehabilitation project between Martin Way in Lacey and 48th Street in Tacoma. Penhall Co. of Minnesota is the contractor replacing the concrete slab panels, each measuring 15 feet long, 12 feet wide and nine inches thick.

Weather permitting, here’s what is planned:

• Friday, Sept. 24: Crews begin work on southbound I-5 near the Clover Creek Bridge, just south of Bridgeport Way in Lakewood. Double- and triple-lane closures will be in effect 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, with all lanes reopening by 11 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 25.
• Saturday, Sept. 25: Crews return to the area in the northbound direction and reduce the roadway northbound I-5 to a single lane of travel. Work hours are 8 p.m. Saturday to noon Sunday, Sept. 26.
• Friday, Oct. 1 – Sunday, Oct. 3: If weather cooperates, motorists can expect the same type of closures on I-5. 

To learn more about this project and others in Pierce County, please visit www.tacomatraffic.com.

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