On Ramp To Westbound I -82 From Valley Mall Blvd. To Close

The work to remove the temporary I-82 westbound bridge requires the full closure of the on-ramp from eastbound Valley Mall Boulevard to westbound I-82 from 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 1, until about 6 a.m. the next day.

Drivers wanting to go west on I-82 from Valley Mall Boulevard during the overnight closure should consider alternate routes or follow detour signs that will guide them to go east on I-82 to Parker (Exit 40), crossover the Interstate and proceed westbound.

All of the businesses along the project are open. WSDOT and Apollo Inc. are working hard to maintain access to those businesses while doing what is necessary to stay on schedule and on budget for this $34.3 million project <http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/i82/valleymall_ic/>. Overnight wrk hours were chosen to minimize the impacts to traffic.

The future long-term project benefits of reducing collisions and improving traffic flow through intersections, and to and from Interstate 82 will seem well worth the current short-term inconveniences to drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and businesses. The project is scheduled to be at the end of October, 2011.

For current traffic information call the I-82 Valley Mall Boulevard interchange project hotline at 509-577- 1695.