Date:  Friday, June 03, 2011

Contact: Chris Tams, WSDOT project engineer, 360-759-1310 (Vancouver)
Abbi Russell, WSDOT communications, 360-905-2058 (Vancouver)

CAMAS – State Route 14 in Camas and Washougal has been two lanes wide since the highway was built in the 1960s. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has long owned enough property to widen the highway to four lanes, but the need and funding never coincided – until now.

Thanks to funds from the 2005 gas tax and years of collaboration between WSDOT and local partners, a $51 million project is bringing significant safety and mobility benefits to this vital east-west corridor.

Today, SR 14 in Camas and Washougal is often congested, and there have been a high number of rear-end collisions at the intersections of Union and Second streets.

Widening the highway to four lanes and removing the signals at Union and Second streets will transform SR 14 into a free-flowing corridor from Interstate 5 to Washougal and significantly reduce rear-end collisions.

New roundabouts at the on- and off-ramps will help traffic entering and exiting SR 14 flow more smoothly and not back up onto the highway.

Crews will also install median barrier along the length of the project to eliminate cross-over collisions.

WSDOT’s contractor, Tapani Underground Inc. of Battle Ground, started construction on the project earlier this week.

This summer and fall, two lanes of SR 14 will be kept open during the day while crews build roundabouts and a two-lane frontage road along the south side of the highway. At night, drivers will encounter single-lane closures from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., Monday through Friday, and should plan for delays of up to 20 minutes.

Late this year, crews expect to begin construction on new lanes, and will close SR 14 between Union and Second streets. Drivers will be temporarily shifted to the new frontage road until widening is complete in fall 2012.

The entire project is expected to be complete in winter 2012-2013.

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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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