Date:
Friday, March 14, 2008
Contact:
Marlin Lenssen, WSDOT Project Engineer, 425-225-8796 (Everett)
Meghan Soptich, WSDOT communications, 206-440-4704 (Seattle)
ARLINGTON – Next Monday, crews working to improve State Route 9 between Arlington and Bryant will begin setting girders for a new bridge that will take the highway over Harvey Creek and Harvey Creek Road.
Crews originally scheduled the girder setting for last month, but postponed the work after a crane broke down. A new motor block arrived from Germany last week and crews repaired the disabled crane.
Beginning Monday, March 17 crews will use two cranes to set two girders each day. “We expect to have all six girders in place by Wednesday afternoon,” said Project Engineer Marlin Lenssen.
Drivers can expect lane closures in each direction of SR 9 from 256th Street to Harvey Creek Road Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Flaggers will alternate traffic through the closure. Drivers can also expect periodic closures of Harvey Creek Road as crews swing the girders into place. After bridge girders are set, crews will continue working to widen the highway.
“Setting the bridge girders is a big milestone for this project,” said Lenssen.. “Despite the short delay, we are still on schedule and expect to open the new turn lanes and straightened roadway to traffic by this fall.”
Crews constructed the foundation for the bridge this winter, and will start building the bridge deck once the girders are in place. The bridge is within a new one-mile stretch of highway crews are building to eliminate a sharp curve on the existing highway, which currently limits sight distance for drivers, increasing the risk of collisions.
In addition to straightening the dangerous curve, crews are also adding new turn lanes at the intersections of 252nd St NE and 268th St NE and upgrading lighting to enhance safety on the highway. Crews are also replacing culverts to improve fish passage.
This $20 million project is funded in part by the 2003 Nickel Gas Tax. For more information, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR9/SchlomanTo268thNE/.
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