MARYSVILLE – All eyes are on the forecast with hopes of dry weather after the wettest El Nino winter on record has twice postponed weekend expansion joint replacement work on Interstate 5.
In an effort to get ahead of the rainy weekend forecast, contractor crews working for the state Department of Transportation could complete striping work as early as Thursday night, March 10.
“Our contractor needs to restripe I-5 to keep traffic moving during the weekend lane reductions,” WSDOT project engineer Mark Sawyer said. “Drivers would only have one lane through the work zone if we didn’t restripe I-5, and that would have a huge impact on traffic.”
If the Thursday forecast calls for rain, crews still have the option to restripe I-5 on Friday night, March 11.
Crews will make a decision to proceed with lane restriping I-5 at 9 a.m. Thursday. The final call to proceed with weekend lane reductions will occur at 9 a.m. Friday.
Expect narrower lanes and a reduced speed limit on southbound I-5 Friday morning. Southbound I-5 drivers will have three narrower lanes open for the morning commute. Speed limits will be reduced to 40 mph through the construction zone. Drivers should plan for possible delays through Sunday night. Lanes will be returned to the normal by 4 a.m. Monday, March 14.
A total of eight weekends of lane reductions will give crews the time they need to replace aging and deteriorating expansion joints in both directions of I-5 on the Steamboat Slough and Ebey Slough bridges.
The length of backups and delays will depend on how drivers travel. Consider traveling early or late when volumes are lighter. Carpooling and public transportation are also alternatives.
WSDOT estimates even if 30 percent of drivers find other ways to travel through the area, there will still be major backups and delays on I-5. Many regional highways will also see increased congestion as drivers find ways around the I-5 work zone.
The joints on the Steamboat Slough bridge are 48 feet long. Because of their size, they can only be replaced during weekends when longer hours are available to chip out the old concrete, remove the joints, install new ones and pour new concrete.
