ARLINGTON – Crews are getting ready to open a new segment of State Route 9 near Arlington next week. Starting Friday night, drivers should plan to take an alternate route as crews close SR 9 for the weekend in order to connect the new roadway with the existing highway.

“We’re very excited to open a new, safe road to drivers,” says assistant project engineer Janice Fahning.

“The old section of SR 9 is steep and full of sharp curves that limit visibility and are difficult for drivers to navigate. On Monday, we will open a straight one-mile section of highway to provide drivers with a smooth, safe ride.”

Crews have a long list of items to complete this weekend. They will excavate the old curvy stretch of highway, flatten an embankment that separates SR 9 from the north end of the new roadway, and connect each end of the new segment with SR 9. To complete this work, crews will close SR 9 from 10 p.m. on Friday, June 27 to noon on Monday, June 30 from Armstrong Road to just north of Harvey Creek Road. Drivers will detour around the closure using 268th Street NE, SR 530, and I-5. At noon on Monday, crews will open the highway to drivers and alternate traffic between the northbound and southbound lanes until work is complete.

In addition to building a new, straight section of roadway, crews are also working to complete new turn lanes at the intersections of 252nd St. NE and 268th St. NE, and to replace a culvert to improve fish passage at Kackman Creek. In the past year, crews have built a new bridge over Harvey Creek and Harvey Creek Road, and enhanced visibility at 268th Street NE by filling in a dip in the road and constructing a retaining wall.

This $20.7 million Nickel-funded project is scheduled for completion in fall 2008. For more information on the project, visit project Web site at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR9/SchlomanTo268thNE/