SEATTLE - They may be the last construction workers with jobs, but this summer promises to be a busy one for transportation construction workers as road projects begin in Western Washington.
This weekend, motorists driving westbound on State Route 16 in Tacoma should see the closure of the Sprague Street off ramp - it will be closed for a year.
The road work is part of constructing a new Nalley Valley viaduct to help SR 16 and fix the crazy ramps which connect it to Interstate 5.
"Tacoma-area drivers should definitely plan ahead for this traffic revision, said Kevin Dayton, Washington State Department of Transportation's Olympic region administrator on WSDOT's Web site. "Shifting traffic and closing the last connection between SR 16 and Sprague Avenue will cause even more congestion on roadways leading to westbound SR 16."
To the east, as contractors grow more sure that winter is behind us, work on the huge Interstate 90 / Snoqualmie Pass East project from Hyak to Keechelus Dam will resume.
For 2010 there are 45 construction projects scheduled from Whatcom, Skagit and Island Counties to the north, Pierce and Thurston counties to the south and Kittitas County to the east. They range from small projects like a new trail along I-90 in Preston to continuing widening work on Interstate 405 south of the Sunset interchange in Renton.
WSDOT managers, including Dayton, ask drivers to bring some, "extra patience."
