Date:  Thursday, September 30, 2010

Contact:
Lisa Copeland, Communications Manager, 360-357-2789

TACOMA – The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and contractor Guy F. Atkinson Construction will do some heavy lifting in October. Next week crews will begin installing the final 73 concrete girders on the new highway and ramp structures in the SR 16 Westbound Nalley Valley project.

WSDOT will close highway lanes, ramps and a city street at night to keep people safe, while crews lift the girders into place to create the supporting structure for the new roadway deck.

Throughout October, motorists can expect the following:

11 p.m. to 4 a.m. on weeknights - WSDOT will close northbound and southbound I-5 exits to westbound SR 16. Closing these two ramps closes westbound SR 16 through the construction zone and will allow the overhead work to be done safely.

For next week only – the week of Oct. 4 – the ramps will be closed on Monday, Tuesday and Friday nights. Specific closure nights on successive weeks will depend on the contractor’s schedule.

9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weeknights – WSDOT will close Center Street under the viaduct. This closure allows crews to use Center Street for staging cranes and other equipment during installation.

“Doing this work at night reduces the impact on drivers, and while there will be a number of closures accompanying the girder operations, we’ll have detours in place to help motorists get around with as little delay as possible,” said Kevin Dayton, region administrator. “Erecting these girders helps keeps us on schedule to complete the Westbound Nalley Valley project next summer.”

Each girder is custom made to accommodate the span, depth and cross-section of the bridges. They range in length up to 163 feet, and in weight up to 187,000 pounds. The girders will arrive at the construction site on semi trucks supported with chase cars that allow drivers to control the load in both the front and back of the vehicles. To date 192 girders have been erected for the project.

The $184 million SR 16 Westbound Nalley Valley project started in January 2009, and is approximately 75 percent complete. The work is funded primarily by the 2003 gas-tax transportation-funding package. For more information about this project, visit http://www.tacomatraffic.com/. To get updates about the project’s construction schedule and roadway closures on I-5, SR 16 and area ramps visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/Regions/Olympic/Construction/Default.htm.

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