Worn stretch of I-5 is finally getting some rehab
Jul 13, 2015, 5:44 PM | Updated: Jul 14, 2015, 5:38 am
A four-mile stretch of southbound I-5 will be getting new pavement. The work starts at about Cook Road, which is north of Burlington, and runs south to George Hopper Road at the north end of Mount Vernon. (Google Maps)
(Google Maps)
Drivers north of Everett are going to be dealing with some slow and bumpy commutes for the next six weeks.
A four-mile stretch of southbound I-5 will be getting new pavement. The work starts at about Cook Road, which is north of Burlington — between Everett and Bellingham — and runs south to George Hopper Road at the north end of Mount Vernon.
It’s been about 21 years since this stretch of road has been given any T.L.C., so it’s time, said Tom Pearce of the Washington State Department of Transportation.
According to Pearce, the stretch of I-5 carries about 36,000 vehicles a day, which is fairly heavy traffic for a two-lane highway.
Nightly closures began Monday night and will continue through September. Drivers should be prepared for single-lane traffic Sunday nights through Friday morning,
between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m., Pearce said. In addition, there will be on and off ramp closures inside the work zone.
Crews will grind off the old pavement, one section at a time, before laying down the new, Pearce said.
In an effort to protect construction workers in this narrow section of I-5, Pearce said they’ll hold off on any paving work on Friday or Saturday night’s during the project.
“We may see heavy traffic Friday and Saturday nights,” Pearce said. There are a lot of recreational opportunities and, “there is the occasional impaired driver and it’s just safer for our crews not to be out there.”
This project is one of eight major pavement preservation projects underway around the Puget Sound this year.
