Workers place wood forms which will hold wet concrete while it sets for the deck of the northbound I-5 bridge over Military Road. The wider roadway will accommodate the extension of the HOV lane. Note the progress from January and March.
Crews are inserting stranded steel cable - or "tendon" - into the ducts in the S. 317th bridge girders. Each duct holds 31 half-inch cables. On one end of the bridge, the tendon is connected to an anchor. At the other end, a hydraulic jack pulls the tendon until it reaches a required force. This process, called "post tensioning," helps hold the bridge girders together and strengthen them.
A truck pumps concrete into the forms for a new retaining wall south of the S. 317th bridge. This is one of the walls that will help support the new HOV direct access ramps in the I-5 median.
We're placing asphalt base for the last of the southbound I-5 concrete pavement replacement between Military Road and S. 320th. Next month we plan to shift traffic off the temporary roadway back onto the permanent southbound I-5 lanes, and drivers will enjoy a much smoother ride on the new pavement.
Crews spread concrete on the S. 317th bridge deck. Next month, we plan to shift traffic off the temporary roadway back onto the permanent southbound I-5 lanes, where drivers will pass underneath the new S. 317th bridge. Then construction on the HOV direct access ramps in the median will go into full swing.