November 2009
- New! Nov. 20 - 23, crews will grind pavement on southbound I-5 from NE 50th Street to Lakeview Blvd. Get the details.
- Crews are 98% finished with grinding work on northbound I-5. All that is left are a few rough patches of ground pavement between NE 45th Street and Lake City Way. We expect to finish work on southbound I-5 in December.
- If you are experiencing significant construction noise in your area, call our 24-hour I-5 noise hotline at 206-440-5169, or e-mail us . We'll answer your questions and send you a free pair of construction grade earplugs.
- Nov. 17 - Nov. 23 - crews will grind pavement on southbound I-5 from N 85th Street to NE 50th Street. Get the details.
- Curious what pavement grinding sounds like? Check out our blog: What's that noise?
The pavement on I-5 in King County is more than 40 years old, twice its planned design life. The pavement is falling apart faster than crews can patch it up and it is failing at an accelerated rate.
To extend the life of the freeway we will replace about 440 deteriorating concrete panels and grind down the worst areas of uneven pavement on northbound and southbound I-5 between the Boeing Access Road in South Seattle and the King/Snohomish County line and in the I-5 express lanes.
Crews also will repave the NE 50th St. on-ramp and replace signs, guardrail and impact attenuators.
Drivers can expect weeknight and weekend-night lane closures on northbound and southbound I-5 between February and fall 2009 while crews complete the work.
I-5 Construction work happens at night
During night closures:
- Crews will grind down the worst areas of uneven pavement on northbound and southbound I-5.
- We will keep one or two lanes open to traffic from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
What is WSDOT doing to keep traffic moving on I-5?
- During most weekend days keep two lanes of traffic open through work zones on I-5 at all times.
- Work at night to avoid disrupting the morning and evening commute.
- Provide signed detours for all ramp closures.
- Provide the latest construction schedules to Seattle area media and posted to the WSDOT Web site.
Plan ahead for major roadwork and congestion on I-5 and other routes. Visit our Puget Sound 2009 construction season Web site.
Why is WSDOT
repairing and replacing pavement on I-5 between the Boeing Access Road and the King/Snohomish County line?
I-5 is a grid of concrete panels. Each panel is a slab of concrete that is 15 feet long, 12 feet wide and nine inches deep.
In the worst areas we are removing and replacing the panels.
Panel replacement occurred exclusively during weekend closures, along with about half of the grinding. We've finished all of the panel replacement work.
We performed most of the panel replacement work during weekend hours due to the amount of work involved, including:
- Removing the cracked and rutted concrete
- Smoothing out the roadbed
Installing bars to lock the new panels with the existing panels and pouring new concrete
- Grinding the panel and adjacent lanes to provide improved traction
During each weekend closure, crews replaced up to several dozen panels in one location.
We are currently grinding out long stretches of tire ruts, and bumps on the freeway to make the road surface even.
Concrete panel replacement and pavement grinding work are an interim fixes to address the worst of the worst problems. The entire roadway surface except for bridge decks needs to be replaced.
The End Result
Once the pavement is repaired and ground out, drivers will notice a smoother ride and better traction. That means drivers will be less likely to get into a collision. These repairs will allow the road to last until we are able to secure funding to repave I-5 between south Seattle and the King/Snohomish county line.
Project Benefits
• Safety. The new, smoother road surface will improve driver safety in the areas we are working on by improving traction and eliminating holes or cracks in the roadway.
• Pavement Lifespan. This project extends the freeway's lifespan, buying precious time until we can replace all of the roadway pavement.
What is the project timeline?
- October 2008: Project advertised to contractors
- November 2008 - Project awarded to the most competitive bidder, Interstate Improvement, Inc., for a bid of $9.9 million (37 percent below WSDOT's cost estimate of $15.7 million)
- February 2009 - Construction begins
- Late fall 2009 - Project completion
Financial Information
This project is funded through the following sources:
- 2003 Gas Tax (Nickel Funding) - $21 million
- Total funding from all sources - $21 million
How can I get more information?
Contact:
Aleta Borschowa
WSDOT Construction Office
Phone: 206-768-5862
E-mail: Borscha@wsdot.wa.gov
Broch Bender
WSDOT Communications
Phone: 206-440-4702
E-mail: Benderb@wsdot.wa.gov
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