PORT ANGELES — A U.S. Highway 101 traffic paving project west of Port Angeles is nearly finished, to the relief of some West End residents who have experienced unexpected delays.
A 11.6-mile-long section of U.S. Highway 101, from Tumwater Truck Route to Lake Sutherland, received a new asphalt surface.
“The paving project is complete, and road striping should be complete by Saturday,” said Jerry Moore, state Department of Transportation project engineer.
That puts the project ahead of schedule.
In July, Moore said the paving operation could last 60 working days from the July 25 project start date.
Some shoulder painting will continue for another week, he said.
The work often resulted in long waits for motorists.
Schedules for major road work are posted on the Transportation website, at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Traffic.
However, the state website showed an incomplete schedule for the Highway 101 paving project, hindering and frustrating West End residents who were trying to adjust their commutes east on the highway to avoid delays.
Ryan Carroll, who lives between Beaver and Port Angeles and commutes into Port Angeles every morning, complained Thursday that he was late to work often after the project began.
The website was updated Thursday morning, which should help, Carroll said.
He appreciates the work being done, he said.
“I love getting new roads,” Carroll said.
“It’s like driving on a velvet carpet,” he said.
But, trying to figure out the schedule confused Carroll when flagger schedules didn’t follow what he found online.
“I’ve been late as often as on time,” he said.
Lately, delays have been much reduced compared with early traffic backups, he said.
There have been a few minor issues that have caused unexpected traffic issues, Moore said.
On Wednesday morning, the heat-activated glue on a roadway directional arrow failed, causing a backup as crews removed the arrow from the asphalt and cleaned up the remaining glue, he said.
Otherwise, the crews have been off the road by 6:45 a.m., he said.
There is some shoulder work after 7 a.m., including moving cones and equipment, which shouldn’t impede traffic, he said.
Clallam Transit also reported few problems on Highway 101.
Striping operations delayed a Forks bus by about 20 minutes during a late evening run, said Terry Weed, Clallam Transit general manager.
“It’s the only delay we have encountered,” Weed said.
The repaving project revealed an error in bridge construction on the Elwha River Bridge on Highway 101 that must be corrected, Moore said.
Work is expected to begin next week and may create delays for drivers.
A sealant layer built into the bridge’s road surface in the 1980s was installed too close to the surface of the road and must be removed and replaced, he said.
The layer prevents water and road salts from penetrating the bridge’s metal structural parts.
Grinding operations revealed the layer and tore up parts of it, Moore said.
It will take about two weeks to replace the layer and repave the bridge, he said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
