ARLINGTON — A section of Highway 9 north of Arlington is scheduled to be closed this weekend while workers remove a dangerous dip in the roadway.
The road construction is part of a $20 million project to widen, straighten and add turn lanes to parts of the highway between Schloman Road and 268th Street NE. The entire project, which involves building a new, mile-long length of highway through a wooded ravine, is expected to be finished by fall 2008, Washington State Department of Transportation spokeswoman Patty Michaud said.
The closure, between 252nd Street NE and 268th Street NE, was scheduled to be in effect from early today until 5 a.m. Monday. The dip in the road is just south of 268th Street NE, Michaud said.
“Crews will work on it diligently so they can get everything done to open at 5 a.m. Monday,” she said. “If necessary, they’ll work through the night to complete the work.”
The work was supposed to happen last weekend, but the project was delayed because of bad weather.
A posted detour will funnel drivers around the closure using 252nd Street NE, 27th Avenue and 268th Street NE.
In the spring, turn lanes are scheduled to be added on the highway at the intersections of 252nd Street NE and 268th Street. Both intersections would be widened accordingly, Michaud said.
Meanwhile, workers are already preparing the roadbed for a new stretch of highway between 252nd Street NE and Schloman Road. The new segment would replace the long, curving section of the highway that intersects with Lake Armstrong Road. Workers have forced hundreds of columns of rocks into the ground to strengthen the soil where the new roadway is planned.
Next summer, Highway 9 between Schloman Road and 252nd Street NE will likely be closed during three weekends while workers connect the new highway segment, Michaud said.
Washington State Patrol trooper Kirk Rudeen said the project will help accommodate growth in the area.
“What you’re seeing in that area is a tremendous increase in the population,” Rudeen said. “You’re seeing more people in that area than at other times in the past.”
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
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