Date:  Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Contact: Alice Fiman, WSDOT Communications, (360) 705-7080 (Olympia)
Doug Pierce, Safety Rest Areas Program Manager (360) 705-7812 (Olympia)

OLYMPIA – No traffic will be allowed at the I-5 southbound Maytown Safety Rest Area south of Olympia for six days, starting at 7 a.m. Monday, Aug. 18. The Safety Rest Area is scheduled to reopen at noon, Aug. 24.

WSDOT is closing the Safety Rest Area and its exit lane while dump trucks are working on the Grand Mound to Maytown widening project. Since the southbound lanes are an uphill climb, the dump trucks will be using the rest area exit lane and rest area parking area to gain enough speed to merge safely into highway traffic.

The trucks will be hauling fill dirt needed to widen the freeway in that location.

WSDOT recognizes the inconvenience and crews will complete the work as soon as possible. Drivers are encouraged to follow the blue motorist information signs along the highway that advertise alternative available services. A sign indicating the service reductions will be in Tumwater.

The Grand Mound to Maytown project, a $88 million “nickel” project, adds a third lane in the northbound and southbound directions on I-5 from Grand Mound to Maytown. The project also realigns a segment of I-5 to provide a more gradual curve. These upgrades relieve congestion and improve safety and freight mobility on the corridor. Close to 60,000 vehicles travel the Grand Mound-to-Maytown stretch of I-5 each day and about 20 percent of those vehicles are freight trucks.

WSDOT has placed a traffic camera in the Maytown area so drivers can check traffic conditions along the corridor. The camera takes shots of northbound and southbound traffic. The images refresh every five minutes on the WSDOT Web site: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/GrandMoundtoMaytown/cameras.htm.

WSDOT asks drivers to "Give ‘em a Brake" in work zones. Giving workers a brake could give you a brake, too. An overwhelming majority of people injured or killed in work zone collisions are drivers and passengers. So slow down, pay attention, help protect the worker and yourself. For more information on I-5 Grand Mound to Maytown, visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/GrandMoundtoMaytown/.

Through Oct. 31, travelers visiting the rest area on southbound I-5 south of Olympia will see a Maytown facility under renovation. No water will be available. Restroom services will be limited to portable toilets and hand sanitizer. While the water is off, there will be no free coffee service.

For more information about WSDOT's safety rest areas, including a statewide list of locations, visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/safety/restareas/.

On the northbound side of I-5, the car parking area is closed at the I-5 Northbound Scatter Creek Safety Rest Area, while the truck and bus parking and rest rooms are open. The sewer replacement and repaving work at Scatter Creek is scheduled to be complete Aug. 27.

The work at Maytown and Scatter Creek Safety Rest Areas is part of a $6 million renovation and environmental improvement project to update the rest areas, improve parking, RV dump stations, and connect to the local sewer system.

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Drivers can now get real time traffic and weather information by dialing 5-1-1 from most phones. Callers can also use 5-1-1 to get statewide construction, mountain pass condition, and state ferry system information, as well as toll free numbers for passenger rail and airlines. TTY users can call 1-800-833-6388.

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