Ramp improvements set for I-205 to Hwy. 14

Vancouver – Drivers traveling between Interstate 205 ramp to state Highway 14 should plan for several ramp closures starting Aug. 15 and lasting until Aug. 22.

Contractors working for the Washington Department of Transportation will close the southbound I-205 offramp to eastbound Highway 14 nightly from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. Aug. 15 through Aug. 19.

The northbound I-205 ramp to Highway 14 will close from 10 p.m. Aug. 19 until 5 a.m. Aug. 22.

Crews will be installing high-friction surface treatments to improve safety during slick conditions on the ramp. The high-friction surfacing process attaches sandlike material to the roadway using a very strong glue. At the end of the process the road will have a coarser surface, which will improve tire traction.

“Drivers will have better control on wet surfaces which will result in fewer collisions,” Rick Keniston, WSDOT traffic engineer, said in a news release. “This safety enhancement will help keep traffic moving on the interchange and reduce freeway congestion.”

According to the release, WSDOT has applied the same surface treatment to other curved interchanges, which resulted in collision reductions of up to 80 percent.