Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation have reopened all lanes of the southbound Interstate 5 collector-distributor in downtown Seattle. During the weekend closure, crews completed work to replace the left half of 10 expansion joints in the aging highway.
The lanes, which run parallel to the southbound I-5 mainline between the Washington State Convention Center and Interstate 90, reopened at 9:34 p.m. Sunday. The southbound I-5 collector-distributor was reduced to just a single lane this weekend while contractor crews completed important safety and highway preservation work.
“We are making great progress on these weekend closures,” said Aleta Borschowa, WSDOT project engineer. “We’re almost to the halfway point of the project. Four weekends down and now just five more to go.”
What’s next?
The next closure is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. Friday, March 7, and will last until 5 a.m. Monday, March 10:
• The work will take place on the northbound I-5 collector-distributor, which runs parallel to the interstate, between I-90 and the Washington
State Convention Center.
• One lane will remain open at all times, except from 12:01 to 4 a.m. on Saturday, March 8, and Monday, March 10, when all lanes of the collector-distributor will close to set or remove
barrier.
• The Dearborn Street on-ramp to the northbound I-5 collector-distributor will be closed. All other ramps will be open.
• Drivers traveling through the work zone can still access mainline northbound I-5 and eastbound I-90, but should expect significant delays.
WSDOT needs help from drivers to keep traffic moving
Drivers who need to travel north through Seattle during the weekend should plan
ahead for construction and create a commuting strategy:
• Allow extra time to travel through the work zone.
• Consider alternate routes such as I-405 or SR 99.
• Ride transit, carpool or use other alternate forms of transportation.
• Travel early in the morning or later in the evening or reschedule discretionary trips.
Expansion joints help maintain a smooth driving surface by allowing the highway to expand and contract with changing weather. Replacing old expansion joints not only helps preserve I-5 well into the future, it also saves drivers hours of unexpected delays caused by emergency highway repairs.
This $2.8 million project will wrap up in spring 2014. For more information, please visit the project website.
