One lane closed around the clock late April to late September
WOODLAND – In the Pacific Northwest, spring and summer bring fair weather – which means construction season kicks off, and travelers can expect to encounter work zones popping up along their route.
Upcoming repairs to three Interstate 5 bridge decks and several broken concrete panels between Cowlitz and Clark counties will lead to significant delays and congestion, but planning ahead and traveling when fewer cars are on the road will help drivers avoid those delays.
On Thursday, April 25, Washington State Department of Transportation contractor Combined Construction, Inc., will begin two months of construction on the southbound I-5 Dike Access Road Bridge near milepost 23, just north of Woodland. During construction, crews will repave the highway approaching, across and away from the bridge deck, as well as replace damaged and broken expansion joints.
In mid-May, WSDOT contractor M.J. Hughes Construction will arrive for a few weeks to perform night work on the I-5 North Fork Lewis River Bridge, located just south of Woodland between mileposts 19 and 20, to complete critical repairs to its northbound span. Crews will then begin two months of work on the southbound bridge span in mid-July. This work includes repairing the expansion joints and repaving the bridge deck.
"Safety is our top priority for both travelers and for our road crews," said WSDOT Project Engineer Susan Fell. "During construction, the travel lanes will be reduced from three to two, creating miles of backups and delays. Traveling during off-peak hours will help reduce travel delays and improve drive time," added WSDOT Project Engineer Pedro Reyes.
What travelers can expect
- Crews will reduce the lanes along both bridges from three lanes to two narrow lanes and shoulders.
- Speed limits will lower from 70 to 60 mph through the work zone and to 45 mph along the bridges.
- Once work is completed on half of the bridge, the traffic barrier will shift slightly, and travelers will cross the bridge using the other half.
During construction, traffic shifts will remain in place around the clock, likely causing significant delays. Additionally, some portions of the work may require reducing all lanes down to a single lane, primarily at night.
To improve safety, minimize delays and reduce congestion, contractor crews will utilize a temporary smart work zone system and a zipper-merging strategy within both project areas.
Smart work zone system
This system provides travelers with real-time traffic updates displayed on messaging signs starting approximately 9 miles ahead of the work zone. Signs will be positioned every mile along the route through the work zone. As congestion increases, the signs will provide information about the traffic conditions ahead, while directing travelers to begin merging from three lanes into two lanes using zipper merging.
The $4.7 million I-5 Dike Access Road Bridge Deck and Expansion Joint project is scheduled for completion early this summer, while the $17.5 million I-5 Northbound/Southbound North Fork Lewis River Bridge Deck Repair and Overlay project should be finished in late summer.
Later this summer, construction work to repair bumpy roads continues in northern Clark County. Contractor crews will replace approximately 40 broken concrete panels, adding another work zone along southbound I-5 between Ridgefield near milepost 14 and the I-5/I-205 split near milepost 8. During construction, travelers can expect nighttime single- and double-lane closures as well as reduced travel speeds throughout the work zone. This project is expected to wrap up by mid-fall 2024.
These projects aim to smooth the driving surface for all travelers and extend the life of the highway for many years to come.