Date:  Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Contact: Al Gilson, Communications Manager
WSDOT Eastern Region
2714 N. Mayfair
Spokane, WA  99207

SPOKANE –Contractors for the Washington State Department of Transportation will start a major Interstate 90 resurfacing job in the Spokane metro area on Monday, May 18.

Concrete pavement rehabilitation and hot mix asphalt paving will get underway on I-90 from the Division Street Interchange in downtown east to the vicinity of Havana Street near the Spokane east city limits. The project will eliminate the severely rutted highway surface and provide motorists with a smoother ride.

Inland Asphalt Company of Spokane is the prime contractor on this $8,091,333 project. The job is estimated to support or sustain approximately 80 jobs.

The contractor will use a diamond grinder to smooth the concrete pavement in the newer section of the freeway, the portion from Division Street through the Hamilton Interchange that was built in the mid 1960s. From Hamilton to Havana, two layers of hot mix asphalt will be installed over the existing concrete. The first pavement layer will be compacted with a rubber-tire roller to press the new asphalt into the deep ruts. This first layer will not appear perfectly smooth to drivers. The final layer will be compacted by standard, steel vibrating rollers to ensure full compaction and a smooth highway surface.

“The concrete pavement through east Spokane is the original surface that was opened to traffic in 1957,” said Keith Metcalf, WSDOT Eastern Region Administrator. “It has performed well but just cannot stand up to the high volume of studded tire use in this area anymore. The subsequent ruts are a safety concern and, although they won’t hold up as long, the new asphalt pavement layers should last several years before resurfacing is needed again.”

In addition to resurfacing on the freeway through lanes, many of the asphalt on and off ramps in the Spokane area will be repaved. Ramps as far west as Geiger Blvd. and east to Sullivan Road will be resurfaced. New signs along the freeway are included in this job.

Work on the westbound side of I-90 near Flora Road is also a part of this project. A 1,500 foot segment that was part of a studded tire pavement damage test will be repaved.

Because over 100,000 vehicles per day use I-90 in Spokane, most of the work will be performed during evening and overnight hours to reduce the effects during the heavier travel periods. All travel lanes will be open to traffic from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. During nighttime asphalt grinding and paving, the individual on and off ramps will need to be closed with traffic required to use interchanges prior to or after the affected ramp.

Drivers will also need to be alert for lane edges and grooved pavement during daytime hours when the lanes are open to traffic.

For worker and driver safety, the legal speed limit will be reduced to 50 mph on Interstate 90 between Division Street and Havana Street. The speed reduction will be in force 24 hours a day, seven days a week beginning on May 18 until all paving and grinding on the through lanes is completed in late July. The entire project is scheduled to be finished around Labor Day weekend.

Motorists can get daily updates on lane and ramp closures by tuning to AM 530 on their car radio. For more project details, visit the project Web page:
www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/i90/spokanerutrepair/

< Go Back