CHOKEPOINTS

Driving east from the Puget Sound region just got more frustrating

Jul 10, 2017, 10:26 AM | Updated: 2:45 pm

Hitting construction delays on your drive east from the Puget Sound region is now nearly completely unavoidable on the most direct routes.

On Monday, crews began resurfacing a 17-mile stretch of Highway 2 between Gold Bar and Skykomish.

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“We will add a protective layer on two sections of US 2 near Gold Bar and repave a third section near Skykomish,” said WSDOT Project Engineer Kevin Waligorski. “This work will cause some backups, so we’re asking drivers to be patient for the next few months.”

Also being added is at least 30 minutes of delays on their drive along Highway 2 because of reduced lanes.

That work, which is budgeted at $4.4 million, won’t be complete until the fall.

It adds to the major work already being done along both directions of I-90 between Ellensburg and North Bend. Lane closures along I-90 are in effect 24 hours a day.

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As of July 3, crews still had six miles of road to repave, seven miles of new road to build, repair five more bridge decks, finish the westbound avalanche bridge, and install arches for the new wildlife crossing over the eastbound lanes.

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Driving east from the Puget Sound region just got more frustrating