Date:  Thursday, December 13, 2007

Contact: Greg Phipps, WSDOT Communications, 206.440.4702
Travis Phelps, WSDOT Communications, 206.440.4472

RENTON – Get ready. Emergency repair crews have begun prep work to repair a damaged culvert on northbound Interstate 405 through the city of Renton.

“Starting Friday at 10 a.m., drivers will see daytime lane closures and a lot of congestion on northbound I-405 for the next two weeks.” said WSDOT Project Engineer Lisa Hodgson.

• As early as 10 a.m., Friday, Dec. 14, crews will close the right northbound lane on I-405 between SR 167 and SR 169 around the clock through Monday, Dec. 17, at 5 a.m. These right lane closures will continue between 10 a.m. and 5 a.m. each following morning for up to two weeks.
• WSDOT will not work during 5 a.m. and 10 a.m.
• During these morning commute hours, the HOV-lane restriction will be in effect. Only carpools, vanpools and transit will be allowed to use the HOV lane between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m.
• Crews also will close one northbound lane of SR 515/Talbot Road intermittently over the next week except between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. Monday through Friday.
  

WSDOT traffic engineers expect significant congestion and are asking drivers to stay on top of the work using the WSDOT traffic Web page, calling 511 and tuning in to local media before they travel through the area. Drivers are also encouraged to take alternate routes, avoid trips, carpool, use transit and travel at less congested times of day.

To relieve some congestion, WSDOT and WSP will not enforce the HOV-only restriction between 10 a.m. and 5 a.m. All drivers may use the northbound HOV lane through the construction zone.

“It doesn’t take much to create a huge backup in this area,” said WSDOT Traffic Engineer Martin Dedinsky. “We need drivers to be aware of what they are getting into if they plan to travel this route over the next two weeks.”

The problem on I-405 began Dec. 3, when record-setting rain damaged sections of a 400-foot-long culvert that sits 60 feet underneath I-405. The collapse led to a sinkhole just 12 feet from the southbound shoulder of I-405 at Benson Road/Main Avenue S. Crews stabilized the sinkhole, but the culvert is broken. Engineers say without a functioning culvert to carry water under I-405, another significant storm could lead to more damage and possibly force WSDOT to close all lanes of I-405 for safety.

“We understand this is terribly inconvenient to drivers, but this is a public safety issue, and we cannot delay this work,” said Hodgson. “Another large rainstorm could cause significant damage to I-405 and force a closure of the freeway. We can’t afford to wait any longer.”

The solution is a two-stepped process. Contractor Tri-State Construction will build a pump and drainage system adjacent to the northbound lanes to divert water from Thunder Hills Creek around I-405 via Talbot Road . To build this 2,000-foot pipe system, crews must close the lanes as the pipes will travel directly adjacent to the travel lanes. This work will take up to two weeks.

The second part of the work will be off the road as crews drive a new, four-foot wide culvert under I-405 to replace the collapsed section. This work could take up to six weeks and could be very noisy.

WSDOT Keeps Traffic Moving

To help keep traffic moving, WSDOT will be working around the clock to give drivers as much information as possible. We will:

• Work with local television and radio stations to deliver up-to-date, real time traffic information
• Place portable signs along the roadway letting drivers know the HOV lane is open to all traffic.
• Use the overhead electronic signs and the 511 system to deliver traffic information to drivers.
• Work with the city of Renton to manage traffic on local streets near the freeway.
• Staff WSDOT’s traffic management center during the busiest times.
• Put extra WSDOT incident response trucks and staff in the area to quickly clear any blocking incidents.

We have created a Web page that has more detailed explanation of our work. www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/i405/RentonCulvertReplacement

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