Date:
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Contact:
Bob Hooker, WSDOT Assistant Project Engineer, (509) 577-1842
Amanda Sullivan, WSDOT Communications, (509) 899-5708
EASTON – WSDOT and crews will resume construction on two I-90 improvement projects next week: the $18.4 million I-90 Lake Easton to Bullfrog project and the $77 million I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East – Hyak to Keechelus Dam project. Drivers should plan for traffic revisions, added travel time, and visual distractions.
“WSDOT and our construction crews are ready to go to work, and the I-90 corridor is ready for these preservation and improvement projects,” said Bob Hooker, WSDOT Assistant Project Engineer. “Most of the concrete pavement on I-90 has exceeded its service life by many years and is deteriorating rapidly.”
I-90 Lake Easton to Bullfrog project
Crews started construction on the nine-mile American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-funded Lake Easton to Bullfrog project in September 2009. They rehabilitated approximately five miles of deteriorating concrete of the right-hand lane and asphalt shoulders of westbound I-90 before winter began.
On April 12, crews from Gary Merlino Construction Co. (Seattle) will resume work on the project by installing detours on I-90 between Easton (milepost 70) and Nelson Siding Road (milepost 74). This work may cause visual distractions and add up to one hour to drivers’ afternoon commute times across the pass.
Crews anticipate completing the concrete replacement work by Memorial Day weekend, before the peak summer time travel season begins and traffic volumes increase. This project, when complete, restores the structural integrity of the roadway, extends the service life of the pavement, provides a smoother, safer ride, and supports 135 jobs.
I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East – Hyak to Keechelus Dam project
Crews started construction on this five-mile Transportation Partnership Account-funded improvement project last year by building a long-term detour bridge at Gold Creek and excavating materials from Keechelus Lake for reservoir storage mitigation.
Next week, crews from Max J. Kuney Co. (Spokane) will begin construction on the first three miles of the project by installing signs and finishing detours. No major traffic impacts are anticipated.
The I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East – Hyak to Keechelus Dam project is a multi-year improvement project that adds a new lane in each direction, replaces deteriorating concrete pavement of existing lanes, stabilizes slopes, extends and adds chain-up/off areas, replaces the snowshed, rebuilds bridges, straightens sharp curves, and improves ecological connectivity. Crews will complete all project improvements by 2016.
What drivers can do
• Plan for added travel time, maintain the posted speed limit, and pay
attention to signs
• Visit the What’s Happening on I-90 Web page for up-to-date
information on construction projects, traffic impacts, and travel
graphs, and sign up for e-mail updates
• Check the Construction Updates Web page and Traffic Web page for
region-wide updates and Tune into the Highway Advisory Radio at
1610 AM and 530 AM
• Follow WSDOT on Twitter
• Call the I-90 construction hotline at 888-535-0738 or 5-1-1
Washington state is administering the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investments with an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability. Gov. Gregoire created a Web site, www.recovery.wa.gov/, so every Washingtonian can see where tax dollars are going and hold government accountable for the results. On the federal level, President Obama has appointed Vice President Biden to oversee all states’ recovery efforts and to root out waste and fraud. This combined oversight will ensure taxpayer dollars are put to good use and recharge the economy.
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WSDOT keeps 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 5-1-1
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