PORT ANGELES — Commuters buzzing between Port Angeles and Sequim will have two lanes of travel in both directions when the state Department of Transportation switches U.S. Highway 101 into a winter configuration later this year.
The two-year, $27.1 million project to widen the highway along the 3.5-mile corridor between Kitchen-Dick and Shore roads is contractually on time and on budget, DOT spokesman Doug Adamson said Friday.
‘Gotten a lot done’
“They’re making good progress out there,” he said.
“They’ve gotten a lot of work done this summer.”
Final paving and striping, originally planned for this fall, will spill into next spring, Adamson added.
“We just don’t have enough [good] weather to complete everything,” he said.
Transportation officials have not announced an expected date for the planned switch into the four-lane winter configuration; the timing will depend on the weather.
Weather-dependent
“We’re paving on a day-to-day basis out there,” Adamson said.
“Of course, the weather has a big influence on paving and striping.”
The second new bridge over McDonald Creek will be finished by the end of this month, he said.
Currently, eastbound and westbound drivers are sharing the new south bridge and the southerly lanes that run parallel to the original alignment.
Once completed, drivers heading in opposite directions will be separated by a 32-foot median.
The 45 mph temporary speed limit through the construction zone will remain in place until the highway is completely paved and striped.
The speed limit will return to its original 55 mph after the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Transportation hired Kent-based Scarsella Bros. Inc. as the main contractor for the long-awaited safety improvement project.
Crews broke ground in January 2013.
Businesses along the highway remain open during construction.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
