405 Repairs On Again Off Again
The repairs that were supposed to start last night were delayed, because the equipment broke down. A piece of equipment used to fuse pipe sections is what broke. Crews need the machinery to install a 2,000-foot pipeline that will divert Thunder Hills Creek around I-405.
Crews reopened the lane at 6 p.m. but plan to resume work at 6 a.m. Saturday. The lane is scheduled to stay closed until 5 a.m. Monday. The right-lane closures between 10 and 5 a.m. could continue for up to two weeks.
They continue to display a gift for understatement. State Department of Transportation spokesman Greg Phipps said Thursday that he realizes the closure creates an inconvenience for drivers and holiday shoppers. About 70,000 cars travel the northbound lanes in a week. Engineers do not have a total cost estimate for the work, but repairs alone are estimated at $5 million.
This project has been off and on, so check traffic conditions by using the web or by calling 511.
Other expected traffic delays this weekend:
- 6 a.m. until noon, Saturday: West Mercer Street is to be closed to through traffic from Second Avenue West to Third Avenue West.
- Early mornings, Saturday and Sunday: Inspectors to check bridge decks, expansion joints and ramps on Interstate 5 between state Route 520 and Interstate 90, and on I-90 east of I-5 to west of I-405. Drivers should expect possible single-lane closures on ramps, rolling slowdowns and shoulder closures in both directions on both interstates.
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