Date:  Friday, October 31, 2008

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

OLYMPIA – Limited services at the Maytown Safety Rest Area on southbound I-5 south of Olympia will remain through early December.

Through Dec. 12, no water will be available and restroom services will be limited to portable toilets and hand sanitizer. While the water is off, there will be no free coffee service. Drivers are encouraged to follow the blue motorist information signs along the highway that advertise alternative services.

“Having only this limited service is inconvenient and we will complete the work as soon as possible,” said Doug Pierce, WSDOT Safety Rest Areas Program Manager. “We have the information out in Tumwater on a highway sign and on the Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) system so drivers can know what to expect.”

The work at Maytown is part of an $8.5 million renovation and environmental improvement project to update the Maytown and Scatter Creek Safety Rest Areas, improve parking, RV dump stations, and connect to the local sewer system. The Scatter Creek location is open.

WSDOT began work at the Maytown Safety Rest Area on Aug. 1 and the construction schedule called for it to re-open today.

The original construction schedule didn’t leave much room for delays.

“Looking back, we were a bit ambitious,” said Yvonne Medina, WSDOT Facilities Administrator. “In a short-term project, when you have a few weather delays or find out the contractor needs some extra time for excavation or paving, it’s difficult to make up that time. In a longer-term project, you have more opportunities to find those catch-up days.”

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

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