Date:  Friday, July 08, 2011

Contact: Leon Winger, WSDOT Project Engineer, 360-905-1500 (Vancouver)
Abbi Russell, WSDOT Communications, 360-905-2058 (Vancouver)

I-5 improvements in Salmon Creek just around the corner


VANCOUVER – A busy section of Interstate 5 will get some much-needed congestion relief and safety improvements beginning this month as crews start the third stage of construction on the Salmon Creek Interchange Project (SCIP).

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) contractor Rotschy, Inc. of Vancouver starts work Monday, July 11, to add new lanes to both directions of I-5 between NE 139th and NE 179th streets.

Crews also will add a new exit lane on northbound Interstate 205 at the off-ramp to NE 134th Street. This ramp often backs up onto the interstate, especially during the afternoon commute. A new exit lane will help improve traffic flow and help prevent high-speed, rear-end collisions.

Drivers can expect shoulder closures during the day and single-lane closures at night for the first two weeks while crews bring in equipment and install construction signs and fencing.

Starting in late July, crews will close two lanes and shoulders from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night, Monday through Thursday, in both directions of I-5.

A joint effort between WSDOT and the Clark County Department of Public Works, SCIP brings significant safety and mobility improvements to one of the fastest-growing areas in the county.

Clark County Public Works is managing the first two stages of the project. Stage one prepared the site of the new C-TRAN park and ride lot for construction and was completed in November 2010. Stage two constructs the park and ride and makes improvements to NE 139th Street and NE Tenney Road. Stage two is currently under construction and scheduled to be complete in 2012.

WSDOT is managing stages three and four. Stage three begins construction July 11 and is scheduled for completion in spring 2012.

Stage four, scheduled to begin construction this winter, builds a new I-5 interchange at NE 139th Street, parallel to the existing interchange at NE 134th Street. The new interchange will improve safety on the I-5 and I-205 ramps, decrease congestion on the interstates and NE 134th Street, and increase access to the Salmon Creek area. Stage four is expected to be complete in 2014.

View project photos on WSDOT’s Flickr site.

All four stages of this $133 million project are funded through the 2003 Nickel gas tax and funds secured through Clark County.

Stay informed on construction by visiting WSDOT’s travel alerts and construction update Web pages.

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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 511.

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