Cars that often slip and slide on Highway 9 north of Arlington should soon have an easier time.
The state is midway through a road-straightening project that will take the bend out of a series of curves and steep grades that have been a problem for drivers in icy conditions for decades, said Marlin Lenssen, project engineer for the state Department of Transportation.
“Just beyond Harvey Creek, the road goes up a quite steep grade through several reversing curves,” Lenssen said. “We’re trying to keep the vehicles from sliding off the road.”
The new section of road, about one mile long, runs slightly to the west of the current route, Lenssen said. The new route is straight and the grade is much smoother and more gradual.
Currently workers are building a bridge over Harvey Creek and Harvey Creek Road, said Meghan Soptich, a spokeswoman for the DOT. The state is scheduled to close the road for 40 minutes at a time next Monday through Wednesday so the girders that will support the bridge can be lifted into place.
The 40-minute closures are needed to make sure nothing falls on people traveling below while the girders and equipment are in the air, Soptich said.
Hanging the girders had been scheduled for this week, but one of the cranes that was going to be used for the work broke down, she said. She said two families live on the road and they have been notified about the upcoming closures.
Lenssen said the $20 million project is scheduled to finish in the fall. It includes adding left-turn lanes from Highway 9 to 252nd Street NE and 268th Street NE, two Bryant-area intersections just north of the work area.
The project started in spring 2007, Lenssen said. Much of the work so far has involved piling up massive amounts of fill that will support the road as it climbs the hill, he said. The footings for the new bridge were put in place last fall, he said.
Reporter Lukas Velush: 425-339-3449 or lvelush@heraldnet.com.
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