The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) recently began placing signage for construction work related to the replacement of the southbound span of the state Route 506 bridge crossing Interstate 5.
The construction work comes after an oversized load damaged the bridge on July 6, 2021.
“In late August, travelers will see nighttime, intermittent single lane closures along both directions of I-5, with a large portion of the work occurring during the day along the SR 506/Toledo-Vader Road overpass,” according to WSDOT.
Construction activity will close Interstate 5 for three consecutive nights as crews work to remove the damaged bridge span.
Later, nightime closures will be required in mid-September to put new bridge girders, each of which weighs about 120,000 pounds, into place. During the mid-September closures, all southbound traffic will be moved into a single lane and directed through the off and on-ramps while the left northbound lane will also be closed.
“To ensure everyone’s safety during demolition and bridge girder setting, all lanes of I-5 will close overnight at the overpass,” said Paul Mason, a WSDOT project engineer.
The dates of the mid-September closures will be released once confirmed.
The project is scheduled for completion this fall at a cost of $833,000. Drivers are encouraged to slow down and pay attention to work zones during the construction period.
