Date:
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Contact:
Dustin Terpening, WSDOT Communications, 360-757-5997
BELLINGHAM – Starting Friday night, crews will close one lane of southbound I-5 all weekend through Bellingham to replace broken concrete panels. Drivers should expect significant delays during the 56-hour lane closure and plan accordingly.
The southbound right lane of I-5 from Sunset Drive (exit 255) to Samish Way (exit 252) will close at 10 p.m. Friday, April 25 and open at 6 a.m. Monday, April 28.
Delays could be an hour long or more and backups could stretch for several miles. Approximately 76,000 drivers use I-5 daily.
Crews will also close the southbound I-5 on-ramp from Iowa Street from 10 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday. A signed detour route will be in place.
Drivers should avoid southbound I-5 at peak periods, when delays and backups will be longest. The best times to use I-5 will be after 7 p.m. and before 8 a.m. Graphs showing the best and worst times to use I-5 are available on the Web at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/36thStToSlaterRdRepairs/traffic-volumes.htm.
This work is part of a $4.5 million project that will replace 212 broken concrete panels, pave four rough ramps and smooth bumpy transitions across bridges. More project details are available at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/36thStToSlaterRdRepairs/default.htm.
More weekend-long lane closures are planned for the coming weekends. Crews are allowed to close lanes for up to four weekends. Weekend work is weather dependent and will be rescheduled as necessary. Stay tuned into the closure schedule by subscribing for Whatcom County e-mail updates at www.wsdot.wa.gov/northwest/emailupdates.
WSDOT had attempted to close lanes on weekends earlier in April, but less than ideal weather prevented the work from happening.
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