PORT ANGELES — Paving is expected to begin today on Old Olympic Highway between U.S. Highway 101 and the Siebert Creek bridge, Clallam County officials said Monday.
The county hired Lakeside Industries of Port Angeles to smooth over a 1.28-mile section of the arterial east of Port Angeles.
“The traffic impact is relatively minimal and just during the normal work hours of the day,” County Engineer Ross Tyler told commissioners Monday.
Motorists can expect alternate routes on the one-lane entrance and exit sections of Old Olympic Highway near the State Patrol detachment on U.S. Highway 101.
Other sections of Old Olympic Highway are wide enough to maintain two-direction travel during construction, Tyler said in a telephone interview.
The existing road surface will be ground down and mixed with gravel to form a base layer that will be topped with a fresh layer of asphalt.
The $580,000 project is expected to take about a week — four days if the weather stays dry.
The National Weather Service forecast a chance of showers today, rain likely Wednesday and a chance of showers Thursday.
Lakeside was expected to make a “rain call” to determine its course of action early this morning, Tyler said.
“You can’t pave over wet pavement,” he said.
“You can pave on top of damp dirt, but you can’t pave on top of damp pavement that’s already there.”
Lakeside originally had planned to begin the project two weeks ago.
“It will all flow smoothly,” Tyler said of the traffic control plan.
“People will find the traffic flow will be OK.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
