Date:  Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Contact:
MaryLou Nebergall, WSDOT Project Engineer, 360-570-6752
Kelly Stowe, WSDOT Communications, 360-357-2716

OLYMPIA – Crews working on the I-5 Grand Mound to Maytown project are watching weather forecasts and hoping March comes in more like a lamb than a lion. One good stretch of dry weather is all that’s needed to finish paving and implement an upcoming southbound traffic shift.

Crews hope to complete the paving this week.

If weather cooperates and paving gets completed, crews will shift southbound traffic toward the median into what eventually becomes the new northbound lanes the week of March 8. Northbound traffic remains unchanged.

Shifting traffic allows crews to begin work in the southbound direction. The project widens both directions of I-5 in south Thurston County, to three lanes in each direction for the approximately 60,000 vehicles that travel this stretch of roadway daily.

“We are nearly 75 percent complete,” explained Project Engineer, MaryLou Nebergall, “but there is still plenty to do.”

Throughout this eight-mile project that broke ground in May 2008, different sections are at various stages of completion. Work that still needs to be completed includes:

• Bridge work at Maytown, Prairie Creek and Scatter Creek
• A layer of new pavement through the entire project
• New striping and pavement markers

Throughout the project limits, motorists will feel the squeeze of 11-foot wide lanes and 2-foot shoulders. Drivers can also continue to expect overnight lane closures in both directions of I-5 and weekday rolling slowdowns. The next traffic shift is expected to take place in May when southbound motorists will move to future northbound lanes near Maytown.

The $90.6 million I-5 Grand Mound to Maytown Widening construction project adds a third lane in each direction on an eight-mile stretch of I-5. The project, funded by the 2003 Nickel transportation Funding Package, broke ground in May 2008 and is scheduled to wrap up this summer. For more information about this project please visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/GrandMoundtoMaytown

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