Date:  Friday, March 06, 2009

Contact: Jamie Holter, WSDOT Communications, 206-440-4698 (Seattle)

Crews cancel I-5 work at Northgate; SR 520 in Bellevue and SR 16 in Tacoma are still on  

SEATTLE – The snow forecast has changed some Puget Sound construction plans. With a new forecast calling for up to four inches of snow between Northgate and Everett, contractor crews on the I-5 pavement repair work say they will not work on I-5 at all this weekend. Crews were scheduled to cut, remove and repour 54 concrete panels and grind pavement in other places.

Crews will go ahead with nighttime lane closures for grinding between Northgate and 85th Street. Up to three lanes will be closed in this area on Saturday and Sunday nights.

“This forecast could turn our work zone into a sloppy mess,” said Aleta Borschowa, WSDOT project engineer. “Crews cannot complete certain tasks in freezing temperatures.” This weekend’s cancellation will have no effect on the overall completion schedule.

State Route 520 panel replacement work is still on because snow is not forecast south of the convergence zone. Demolition of Tacoma’s Nalley Valley Viaduct is also still on.

What should drivers do?

“With daylights savings time, you are already losing an hour of your day. You don’t want to lose another stuck in traffic,” said Lorena Eng, WSDOT regional administrator.

Drivers should

• plan for 15-minute delays in Redmond and Tacoma especially mid afternoon on Saturday and Sunday.
• check the Web for the latest information before you leave at www.wsdot.wa.gov/construction/2009.
• use the overhead freeway signs and the 511 driver information line to get up-to-the minute information on the road.

For more detailed closure information on these projects and other work this weekend, drivers should bookmark www.wsdot.wa.gov/construction/2009 and check the “What’s happening now” link.

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