My colleague Bill Pedigo commutes on I-5 from Stanwood to Everett and was curious about differences in two middle lanes that were re-paved with different results.
The northbound section is from the Smokey Point rest area to the Island Crossing exit. The southbound section starts near the 116th Street NE overpass and ends just before 88th Street NE.
“On my way to work, I move to that southbound lane. It’s as smooth as a new baby’s butt, and the road noise is noticeably quieter,” Pedigo said. “On my way home, I avoid that northbound lane. It’s rougher than 30-grit sandpaper, and the road noise is louder than my 11-year-old son.”
(Copy editors have a wonderful way with words.)
“I’m wondering what kind of standards there are for contractors on these kinds of projects. Clearly, one was done right; the other wasn’t,” he said.
Tom Pearce, a spokesman over at the state Department of Transportation, said WSDOT maintenance crews did both temporary fixes.
“They do patching and thin layers of pavement to maintain the roadway structure until a major paving project is funded,” Pearce said. “Often the maintenance repair is only a lane or portion of the lane, like in a wheel path, and is only a thin layer of asphalt.”
The crews did both jobs right.
As you can probably guess, the northbound section was done earlier than the southbound section — by a few years — and is starting to wear out.
It was an interim repair in both cases, and both sections are about to get the real fix.
“Both southbound and northbound sections of I-5 have funded paving projects. Project design is scheduled for 2016 and paving will take place in summer 2017,” Pearce said.
Here’s to less sandpaper, more baby butts.
Have a question? Email us at streetsmarts@heraldnet.com. Please include your name and city of residence. Look for updates on our Street Smarts blog.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
