This road work, between Grays Harbor and Thurston counties, begins Tuesday, WSDOT says
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story had the wrong day for road work to begin. It will begin after the holiday weekend.
A major project to improve state Route 8 between Grays Harbor County and Thurston County begins Tuesday, the state Department of Transportation announced.
On May 30, road crews will begin closing lanes on eastbound SR 8 between Elma and Olympia to repave 21 miles of road in the left lane. Later, they will repave three miles of a westbound lane between U.S. 101 and Winslow Drive Southwest, just west of the Summit Lake Grocery, according to WSDOT.
The contractor will close lanes both day and night to complete the work.
A temporary speed limit reduction will be in place on SR 8 during the project. The 60 miles per hour speed limit will be reduced to 45 mph from milepost 0 to 20.63, according to WSDOT.
In addition, a half mile of state Route 108/West Simpson Avenue will be paved in both directions in McCleary, between SR 8 and East Fork Wildcat Creek, WSDOT officials say.
The construction work is part of a $7.26 million project that’s expected to end around October, according to the project website.
Work is needed because sections of the roadway are reportedly showing signs of wear and tear, including cracks, cuts and potholes. WSDOT hopes to preserve the highway structure and reduce the chance for costly emergency repairs with this project, per the website.
The public can learn of state road closures with the WSDOT app and by visiting a real-time map online.
This story was originally published May 28, 2023 at 10:51 AM with the headline "This road work, between Grays Harbor and Thurston counties, begins Tuesday, WSDOT says."
