Date:  Thursday, November 18, 2010

Contact: Kelly Stowe, WSDOT Communications, 360-357-2789

ROCHESTER– A new lane stretching seven miles on northbound I-5 opens Friday morning in Thurston County, relieving congestion at a key bottleneck and making it easier for commuters and holiday travelers to get where they are going.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the contractor, Scarsella Bros. Inc., built the third northbound lane from Grand Mound to Maytown as part of the I-5 Grand Mound to Maytown project. Last year, more than 345,000 vehicles traveled this stretch of I-5 during Thanksgiving weekend.

“This highway improvement near Grand Mound is part of a larger plan to ease bottlenecks and improve travel times along an entire stretch of I-5 between Thurston and Cowlitz counties,” said Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond. “This corridor is a vital West Coast route that links markets in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, and is critical to our state’s and nation’s economies.”

Trying to get ahead of winter weather, crews finished all necessary striping before the November rain began.

“Our crews took advantage of the good weather we had a few weeks ago to get all the striping accomplished,” WSDOT Regional Administrator Kevin Dayton said. “Crews are finishing barrier work in the median, which isn’t weather-dependent. Once the barrier work is complete, that third lane opens, which will be great for drivers.”

The opening of this new northbound lane to traffic means the $61.5 million project, funded by the 2003 nickel gas-tax increase approved by the Legislature, is functionally complete. However, a final pavement overlay is planned next summer. Crews also recently opened a new southbound lane to traffic.

WSDOT has several projects that will increase capacity on I-5 between Thurston and Cowlitz counties. Directly south of this project, WSDOT also is widening four miles of I-5 from Blakeslee Junction in Lewis County to Grand Mound.

In January, crews will break ground on the I-5 Grand Mound to Maytown Stage Two project that rebuilds the I-5/US 12 interchange at Grand Mound. This project will improve mobility through the area and is scheduled for completion in 2012.

WSDOT also completed I-5 Rush Road to 13th Street project and is designing improvements in the I-5 Mellen Street to Blakeslee Junction project.

For more information on the I-5 Grand Mound to Maytown Project, please visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/i5/grandmoundtomaytown/.

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