The ongoing expansion of state Highway 502 between Interstate 5 and Battle Ground marked a milestone recently as crews began paving a stretch of the roadway, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Much of the activity this week will focus on the area west of Dollars Corner as workers put down new pavement between Northeast 72nd and 50th avenues, said WSDOT area engineer Chris Tams. The highway in that area will shift to a new alignment as soon as next week, he said.
Crews also say they hope to pave as far west as Northeast 15th Avenue in the coming weeks if the weather stays dry, Tams said.
“We’re marching our way toward the winter shutdown for the project, which arrives Oct. 15,” he said.
After that, WSDOT construction crews will do little work on the site until May.
Workers are expanding the highway to four lanes. Orange fencing along the corridor already marks the widened right of way to make room for the roadway.
The bulk of the expansion and paving work is slated for next year, Tams said. The entire $85 million project will wrap up in 2016, according to WSDOT.
Other work happening now relates to the bridge at Northeast 92nd Avenue, where Highway 502 crosses Mill Creek. The window for in-water work closes at the end of September, Tams said.
WSDOT isn’t the only agency with crews on the project site. Clark Public Utilities also is taking on electric- and water-related utility work along the corridor, said WSDOT spokesman Bart Treece.
The weather is expected to stay dry early this week, with a chance of showers returning in the next few days.
“I’m knocking on a lot of wood right now hoping we can get done what we need to get done,” Tams said.
