Date:  Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Contact: Dave Chesson, WSDOT Communications, 360-757-5970 (Burlington) 
             Robyn Boyd, Project Engineer, 425-225-8754 (Everett)

STANWOOD – WSDOT has awarded Penhall Company of Seattle a $979,500 construction contract to repair the SR 532 bridge deck at 84th Avenue in Stanwood.

The bridge deck has been worn through in numerous locations, creating a rough surface for drivers to navigate and exposing the bridge structure below. The road surface is very rough and last winter maintenance crews had to close lanes to fill potholes.

To fix the bridge, crews will replace aged and worn expansion joints, smooth and repair the bridge deck and pave the deck with a special, longer-lasting concrete.

Crews will need to close the bridge for one full weekend during construction and detour traffic through Stanwood.

“It’s an important job in a tight work area,” said Robyn Boyd, project engineer. “We required the contractor to have three grinders on site; two working and one as a backup. Our goal is to get in and get out as quickly as possible, while leaving drivers with a quality product that will last well into the future.”

The current schedule calls for the one weekend-long closure to take place between August 16 and September 13, depending on weather conditions and the contractor’s schedule. The weekend closure will start on Friday at 7 p.m. and go through Monday morning at 5 a.m. The contractor is working on its schedule to pin down which weekend in August or September they will use.

The closure is expected to cause delays for weekend travelers, but will preserve the bridge, improve the driving surface and reduce regular maintenance lane closures.

The SR 532 bridge was built in 1960 and carries 20,000 drivers daily over 84th Avenue and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad tracks. It is a major link for drivers heading between Camano Island, Stanwood and the I-5 corridor.

The 2009 Legislature allocated $1.5 million for the project.

Another major project is already under way on SR 532 that will make safety improvements along the entire 10-mile corridor. That project will replace the Mark Clark Bridge, add turn lanes at selected intersections and build three truck climbing lanes at specific locations. For more information on the SR 532 corridor improvements project, please visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR532.

###

WSDOT's mission is to keep people, businesses and the economy moving by operating and improving the state's transportation systems. To learn more about what we're doing, go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/news for pictures, videos, news and blogs. Real time traffic information is available at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic or by dialing 511.

< Back to News Home