The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

On Thursday, April 25, Washington State Department of Transportation contractor, Combined Construction, Inc., will begin two months of construction on the southbound I-5 Dike Access Road Bridge near milepost 23, just north of Woodland. During construction, crews will repave the highway approaching, across and away from the bridge deck, as well as replace damaged and broken expansion joints.

In mid-May, WSDOT contractor M.J. Hughes Construction will arrive for a few weeks to perform night work on the I-5 North Fork Lewis River Bridge, located just south of Woodland between mileposts 19 and 20, to complete critical repairs to its northbound span. Crews will then begin two months of work on the southbound bridge span in mid-July. This work includes repairing the expansion joints and repaving the bridge deck.

What travelers can expect

Crews will reduce the lanes along both bridges from three lanes to two narrow lanes and shoulders.Speed limits will lower from 70 to 60 mph through the work zone and to 45 mph along the bridges.

Once work is completed on half of the bridge, the traffic barrier will shift slightly, and travelers will cross the bridge using the other half. Later this summer, construction work to repair bumpy roads continues in northern Clark County. Contractor crews will replace approximately 40 broken concrete panels, adding another work zone along southbound I-5 between Ridgefield near milepost 14 and the I-5/I-205 split near milepost 8. During construction, travelers can expect nighttime single- and double-lane closures as well as reduced travel speeds throughout the work zone. This project is expected to wrap up by mid-fall 2024.