Months-long road work to impact US 101 traffic in Olympia, Tumwater
Traffic on U.S. 101 in Olympia and Tumwater will be impacted by a months-long roadway improvement project starting in May.
The $2.19 million project aims to improve roadway asphalt and barriers by September, according to a Washington State Department of Transportation news release. However, weather conditions could delay the project.
As soon as May 6, work crews plan to replace several miles of worn asphalt on southbound U.S. 101, WSDOT says. To do this, crews will remove a top layer of roadway before repairing damaged asphalt and repaving the area.
Work will impact the following areas: the left lane of southbound 101 from Mud Bay to Crosby Boulevard, the right lane of southbound US 101 from Black Lake Boulevard to the on-ramp to southbound I-5, and the southbound US 101 exit to Second Avenue in Tumwater.
Crews will primarily work at night to avoid traffic, WSDOT says. During that time, drivers will encounter lane and ramp closures. There also will be a reduced 45-mph speed limit in affected areas.
“Nearby residential areas may experience nighttime noise,” the release says. “Asphalt grinding is unavoidably loud. Crews will work as quickly as possible to complete the work to reduce inconvenience.”
Once paving is complete, crews will start work on barrier improvements in the summer.
A construction zone will pop up on the southbound US 101 on-ramp to northbound 1-5, bringing around-the-clock narrowed and shifted lanes, night lane and ramp closures, and associated detours.
Travelers can find advance notification of ramp closures and other highway work on the WSDOT statewide travel map or the WSDOT mobile app.
This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 11:45 AM.
