Local leaders and community members on Wednesday came together to celebrate the completion of 12 years of planning and work for the Mellen Street to Blakeslee Junction Project on Interstate 5.
The roadway looks drastically different than it has in the past after safety improvements and ramp reconfigurations have been completed.
Representatives of U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell and Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler thanked everyone for their work during the projects, stating the changes to the interstate will provide a safer travel route and will allow area businesses to be more competitive.
The Washington State Department of Transportation celebrated the completion of the final project funded by the state gas tax in the area.
Bart Gernhart, the assistant regional administrator for WSDOT, said over the years the project design has changed many times, but the final product was a culmination of teamwork from representatives of a variety of different governments and organizations.
“This truly is a community that helped us,” he said.
The work on the interstate was part of a two-phased project that modified the Mellen Street and Harrison Avenue ramps and added new roadway connections parallel to the freeway to separate local traffic from that on the interstate. Other work included repairs to existing bridges and a regrade on a portion of the freeway to improve sight distance for drivers.
“This work will help drive down collisions and improve travel times on this portion of the West Coast’s busiest highway,” Gernhart said. “By partnering with local community members, we incorporated their vision of a safer and more efficient I-5 corridor that will have lasting benefits for all travelers.”
Each speaker, which included the mayors of the two cities, Lewis County Commissioner Edna Fund, Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, and a variety of others, were given a puzzle piece to place on an empty board. According to Gernhart, the puzzle represented the amount of teamwork it took to complete the project, which has reshaped the Interstate 5 corridor in south Thurston and north Lewis counties.
Fund said the project was another way to provide economic development in the county, and that she looks forward to what will happen in the next 20 years.
Gernhart credited the city of Chehalis for the work on the south end that connected Airport Road to the project, allowing easy access to businesses located in the shopping complex on NW Louisiana Avenue.
Chehalis Mayor Dennis Dawes said the project helped both of the cities, and that teamwork was an important component to its completion.
“If we do not work together, we are going to defeat ourselves,” he said, encouraging parties to work together on future projects.
Washington State Patrol Captain for District 5 James Riley stressed the importance of the project in regards to the safety of pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicle traffic alike. He said the improvements, which allow for safer travel, will over time save lives in the community.
The local connector lanes help improve safety by reducing merging vehicles and preventing backups onto the interstate, he said.
The construction of the corridor began when the first of five projects started in 2007 between Maytown and Napavine.
In the next few weeks, drivers should expect occasional nighttime single-lane closures as Scarsella Brothers, Inc. — WSDOT’s contractor — completes guardrail installation and striping work.
Roadside landscaping and erosion control work will be completed during the fall and winter months.
