North Olympic Peninsula drivers can expect delays during the summer while the state Department of Transportation works on chip seal repairs along nearly 60 miles of U.S. Highway 101 and state Highway 19.
Crews from Doolittle Construction, LLC of Bellevue, contracted by WSDOT, will begin site preparations along Highway 101 at milepost 192 near Forks starting as soon as May 3, officials said.
During the construction, drivers can expect single-lane closures with flaggers, WSDOT said in a press release.
Speed limits will be reduced to 35 mph from the time gravel is placed on the road surface until after the excess has been swept away, officials said.
Crews will work across multiple locations to resurface the pavement and also to replace expansion joints on six state bridges.
All of the work requires warm, dry weather so drivers will be impacted by crews working during the day, WSDOT said. The work is expected to be finished in the fall.
“We know that anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 vehicles a day travel U.S. 101 and SR 19 in Clallam, Jefferson and Mason counties,” said Project Engineer Karen Boone in the press release.
“Chip sealing is a cost-effective solution to repair damaged pavement at one-fifth the price of traditional paving with comparable results.”
The total cost for this project, which also includes a bridge and 15 miles of Highway 101 in Mason County, is $9,375,000.
Chip sealing keeps water from penetrating the road structure, provides an anti-glare surface during wet weather and an increased reflective surface for night driving, minimizes the effects of aging and provides a skid-resistant surface, particularly on wet pavements, according to the WSDOT press release.
The work zones for this project are Highway 19, from state Highway 104 to south of West Valley Road, milepost 0.1 to 9.5; Highway 101 from Highway 104 to the Quilcene River Bridge, milepost 285.2 to 296.7; from Johnson Road to Riverside Road, milepost 192 to 210.5; and from east of Fisher Cove Road to west of Indian Creek, milepost 231.4 to 234.6.
Work crews will replace worn expansion joints and conduct routine bridge maintenance on five Highway 101 crossings: the Calawah River bridge at milepost 192.4; bridges across the Sol Duc River at mileposts 194.3, 203.2 and 203.7; and the Bear Creek bridge at milepost 206.
Real-time traffic information is available on the WSDOT app and the WSDOT regional Twitter account.
