Date:  Monday, August 23, 2010

Contact: Bob Hooker, WSDOT Assistant Project Engineer, (509) 577-1842 (Yakima)
Amanda Sullivan, WSDOT Communications, (509) 899-5708 (Ellensburg)

 
 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Crews to repair a section of newly paved asphalt on I-90 east of Snoqualmie Pass

SNOQUALMIE PASS – The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) said today contractor crews will remove and replace a one-mile section of new asphalt on I-90 east of Snoqualmie Pass on Tuesday night, Aug. 24.

The work will be done at the contractor’s expense.

The work will require single-lane closures from Keechelus Dam (milepost 60.2) to the Cabin Creek Interchange (milepost 64.2) from 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. No major traffic impacts are expected during this nighttime work.

After this one-mile section of deteriorating concrete pavement was overlaid last week with hot mix asphalt, tests showed it did not meet WSDOT specifications for density and compaction. WSDOT and the contractor acted proactively to identify this issue and quickly expedited repair plans. Pavement that doesn’t meet WSDOT compaction standards degrades quickly and doesn’t hold up under the heavy I-90 traffic volumes and weather conditions.

WSDOT is committed to ensuring that the highest quality materials are used on the highway system. Materials are tested at intervals throughout the construction process to ensure that products meet state standards defined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

“WSDOT and our contractor take the quality of our work very seriously, and we’re doing everything we can to provide smooth, durable pavement on I-90,” said Bob Hooker, WSDOT assistant project engineer. “There are many challenges associated with this particular project, including its location near the top of Snoqualmie Pass, nighttime work hours causing much cooler temperatures, and keeping traffic moving across this very busy interstate route. Overall, we’re pleased with the work the contractor is doing. They are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure a long-lasting and quality end product.”

The project’s schedule is not affected by this repair work, and work is still on track to be complete by October.

Since July, WSDOT and contractor crews have been rehabilitating the westbound lanes of I-90 near Keechelus Dam as part of the $2.8 million I-90 Keechelus Dam to Cabin Creek westbound paving project that will also include updated safety features such as guardrails, signing and striping.

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