Date:  Thursday, June 09, 2011

Contact:

Lisa Copeland , Region Communications Manger, 360-357-2789, Tumwater

Jon Deffenbacher, Project Engineer, 253-589-6100, Tacoma

LAKEWOOD – After months of rain and cool temperatures, spring seems to have finally sprung – and with it come high-impact closures on Interstate 5 in Pierce County.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will kick off construction this weekend on a project to repair the I-5 Clover Creek Bridge. This work is the first of four weekend closures planned for I-5 near Lakewood.

Beginning at 9 p.m. Friday, June 10, crews will begin closing northbound lanes, the northbound on-ramp at Gravelly Lake Boulevard, and the northbound off-ramp to Bridgeport Way. By midnight, a triple-lane closure will be in effect, limiting traffic to a single lane. All lanes will reopen by 10 a.m. Saturday, June 11.

Drivers can expect a repeat of this closure Saturday night, with all lanes reopening by 10 a.m. Sunday, June 12.

“We’re asking drivers to avoid this area during construction if at all possible,” said Kevin Dayton, regional administrator. “We need four weekends of dry weather to get the work done, and drivers can help us keep traffic moving by finding alternate routes around the area.”

If the weather continues to cooperate, drivers who use I-5 near Bridgeport Way in Lakewood will want to plan ahead for backups and delays as they head out to weddings, graduations or other events during the next four weekends. WSDOT traffic engineers estimate that backups during these closures could reach five miles if 30 percent of drivers don’t avoid I-5 during the weekend work.

Approximately 141,000 drivers travel this section of I-5 in Lakewood daily. During the weekend-long closures, WSDOT will make needed repairs to the north- and southbound bridge decks, which will result in a smoother ride for drivers once work is complete.

During construction, additional WSDOT Incident Response crews and Washington State Patrol troopers will be out in force to help keep the work zones clear of collisions or disabled vehicles and to keep traffic moving as smoothly as possible. Drivers are encouraged to check their routes before they go by visiting www.wsdot.wa.gov/Traffic/trafficalerts or by calling 511.

For more information on about this $650,000 project and how to stay informed via Twitter or through email updates, please visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/CloverCreekBridge/.

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