WSDOT to start left turn lane work Monday

A Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) asphalt grinding crew is scheduled to start work Monday to create left turn lanes on SR 4 in Cathlamet.

WSDOT communications officer Tamara Greenwell said Wednesday that the crew will remove the rumble strips and pave them over at the intersections to receive the turn lanes.

The highway will be partially closed, with traffic escorted by a pilot car.

The work is part of a project to add left turn lanes on the highway in the Cathlamet area and slow the speed limit to 45 mph.

Elsewhere, a contract to clear a slide at Milepost 50 on SR 4 near Stella should be out by the end of the month, Greenwell said. Work should start there by the end of August.

Safety concerns over stability of the slide slope delayed progress on project design, she said.

On Thursday, after The Eagle had gone to press, WSDOT issued the following press release which contains more detail about the project and its impacts:

"Travelers who use State Route 4 near Cathlamet should plan for possible delays next week.

"Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews will remove rumble strips from the middle of the roadway in preparation for safety improvements scheduled for installation later this summer.

"Construction details

"--On Monday, July 30, crews will close one lane of westbound SR 4 between Columbia Street/Boege Road and Main Street from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

"--During the lane closure, travelers will follow a pilot car through the work zone.

"--Travelers should use caution through the area, slow down and give crews room to work.

"Later this summer, crews will convert an eastbound lane of SR 4 into a westbound left turn lane at Wahkiakum High School Road, as well asinstall a two-way left turn lane between Wahkiakum High School Road and Columbia Street/Boege Road. The new left turn lanes will improve safety for travelers accessing the high school and local streets.

"For enhanced safety of travelers who walk or bike through the area, crews will also widen the shoulders through this stretch of highway. When complete later this year, the speed limit in the area will be reduced from 50 to 45 mph.

"Before heading out the door, travelers can get real-time traffic information on their phone with the WSDOT traffic app: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Inform/mobile.htm"