Project overview
In summer 2027, crews will remove two Highway Advisory Radios (HAR) along southbound I-5—at milepost 72.4 near Rush Road in Lewis County and milepost 41.2 near North Kelso Avenue in Cowlitz County—and replace them with Variable Message Signs (VMS).
HAR broadcasts traffic updates on AM 530. Many newer vehicles don’t easily access AM radio, and some drivers don’t switch stations, so they may miss important information like road closures or Amber/Silver alerts.
VMS display real-time messages on electronic signs above the highway lanes. Drivers can see updates without changing the radio, helping them make safer, faster decisions and improving trip reliability for everyone on the road.
What to expect
Once construction starts, travelers should plan for periodic daytime shoulder and single-lane closures along southbound I-5 near Rush Road between mileposts 72.8 and 72.35, in Lewis County, and near North Kelso Avenue, between mileposts 41.58 and 41.2, in Cowlitz County.
In summer 2027, crews will remove two Highway Advisory Radios (HAR) along southbound I-5—at milepost 72.4 near Rush Road in Lewis County and milepost 41.2 near North Kelso Avenue in Cowlitz County—and replace them with Variable Message Signs (VMS).
Installed in 2011, the Highway Advisory Radios or HARs, uses AM radio station 530 to share highway updates and information with travelers. As technology advances, some vehicles no longer offer AM radio, or travelers don't change the dial.
To mitigate this and ensure all travelers are receiving timely travel information, contractor crews will remove the HAR system along southbound I-5 at milepost 72.8, just south of Chehalis, in Lewis County, and at milepost 41.2, near Kelso in Cowlitz County, and install overhead Variable Message Signs, or VMS.
Because VMS displays real-time traffic information above travel lanes along the highway, more travelers see the information, allowing them to make travel decisions quickly, without changing the radio station.
