Date:  Friday, June 24, 2011

Contact: Dustin Terpening, WSDOT Communications, 360-757-5997 (Burlington)

Second round postponed due to weather

BURLINGTON – Just in time for the weekend and right on schedule, all lanes of northbound Interstate 5 reopened this morning at 10 a.m. after a week of work and closures that restricted the highway to one lane between Burlington and Bellingham.

During the 87-hour lane closure, crews successfully repaired several bridges, tied 2.5 miles of concrete panels together with 6,000 dowel bars, stabilized another six miles of concrete panels, and paved eight miles with asphalt. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is repairing and repaving 12 miles of northbound I-5 this summer.

Drivers saw lengthy backups, but helped ease delays by adjusting when they drove and took alternate routes.

A video of the work completed is available on YouTube, and pictures are on Flickr.

With the first round now complete, crews shift their focus to scheduling the second 87-hour lane closure. Wet weather forecast for next week has forced WSDOT to postpone the second round until the week of July 11 at the earliest.

Nightly lane and ramp closures will continue on weeknights for the next several weeks. Keep an eye on the project website or subscribe for the WSDOT Skagit County newsletter to stay informed about when and where lane and ramp closures are planned.

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