Nighttime travelers will follow a signed detour during bridge girder setting work
NAPAVINE – For nearly 22 months, the Koontz Road overpass, which spans Interstate 5 near Napavine, has been reduced to a single lane, forcing drivers to wait their turn in order to cross, but those delays will soon come to an end.
Beginning the week of Sept. 18, contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will close the overpass and begin work to repair the bridge support structure that was damaged by an oversized load on Nov. 14, 2021.
“Each bridge repair project we do is unique and requires careful coordination and design to get it right,” said Project Engineer Paul Mason. “Having a single lane open along the overpass allowed us time to plan this project to minimize construction closures on I-5.”
Upcoming work schedule
- Monday, Sept. 18 and continuing until further notice: Contractor crews will close the Koontz Road overpass through the end of 2023.
- Friday, Sept. 29 to the morning of Saturday, Sept. 30: A single lane of northbound I-5 near the Koontz Road overpass at milepost 69.35, will close from 9:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., for bridge girder demolition work.
- Friday, Oct. 6 to the morning of Saturday, Oct. 7: All northbound lanes of I-5 near Napavine, between SR 508 and US 12, will close from 9:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., to set bridge girders.
The closures are necessary to replace the damaged concrete bridge girder and the bridge mounted sign bracket for the overhead sign above northbound I-5. During the I-5 closures, WSDOT’s contractor, Selby Bridge Company, Inc., will detour nighttime travelers onto State Route 508, Jackson Highway and US 12, and back onto I-5.
Once construction is complete, this $955,000 project will improve safety and restore this vital east/west connection along Koontz Road. Work is scheduled for completion by the end of 2023.