Highway 20 lane closures in Oak Harbor to last all summer

Motorists are dealing with a first of a series of nightly lane closures on Highway 20 in Oak Harbor that will continue throughout the summer.

By Nathan Whalen • June 21, 2011 6:33 pm
Eddie Velasco of Farrow Construction installs a new sidewalk at the intersection of Highway 20 and Whidbey Avenue. It’s part of a summer-long project to repave Highway 20 through Oak Harbor. Construction is scheduled to wrap up in the fall.
Eddie Velasco of Farrow Construction installs a new sidewalk at the intersection of Highway 20 and Whidbey Avenue. It’s part of a summer-long project to repave Highway 20 through Oak Harbor. Construction is scheduled to wrap up in the fall.

Motorists are dealing with a first of a series of nightly lane closures on Highway 20 in Oak Harbor that will continue throughout the summer.

Work started recently on repaving Highway 20  and replacing and updating its sidewalk ramps. This work means single-lane closures nightly on the highway through Oak Harbor.

The first closure occurred last week from the intersection with Midway Boulevard to the intersection of SW Eighth Avenue.

The closures will begin at 7 p.m. each night and continue until 8 a.m. each morning from Monday night through Friday all summer.

“They are going to try to get in and out on this project as quickly as possible,” said Dave Chesson, spokesman for the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Workers are repaving Highway 20 through Oak Harbor from Harbor Vista Circle, which is located between the Swantown Avenue intersection and the single-wide trailer park, to Narrows Avenue on the north edge of Oak Harbor. The $3.2 million project includes replacing and improving the accessibility to the numerous sidewalk ramps lining the highway, which will help disabled people navigate safely.

Chesson said the ramps will contain a non-skid material, have lesser inclines and better openings.

“It’s really going to be an improvement,” Chesson said of the new ramps.

Chesson said workers will tear out sidewalks in sections to minimize impacts on pedestrians, who will be detoured around construction sites.

As for the actual repaving of the road, that will take place in August when the weather is warmer and rain is less likely.