I-5 project ahead of schedule, will narrow to two lanes

The Department of Transportation will switch to the next phase of its work on I-5 between Thursday and Friday nights, even though they had originally planned to make the switch tonight. The I-5 configuration will remain the same Thursday as it was today.

Crews finished list-minute paving on northbound I-5 south of Seattle tonight but won't switch their work zone from the east side of the freeway to the west until Thursday night, according to the transportation department.

The state Department of Transportation and contractor Concrete Barrier said today they are ahead of schedule on the Interstate 5 repair work and expect to finish work on northbound Interstate 5 in Seattle by 5 a.m. Aug. 25 — five days ahead of schedule .

The project was originally scheduled to be completed by 5 a.m. on Aug. 30.

After the change drivers should expect greater delays through the northbound I-5 work zone.

"Barring unexpected complications like weather or equipment breakdowns, we are confident the crews will complete this project in 14 days or less," said DOT engineer Paul Johnson.

Myly Posse, spokeswoman for the DOT, said the quick work is being fueled by an incentive the DOT built into the project; for each day the job finishes early, the contractors will get another $100,000. "It's great progress," she said, "and they have that incentive."

But rain is forecast for this weekend. What will that mean to the project?

"It's too far in the future for us to tell," Posse said, adding that rain can delay the schedule.

Finishing road projects early isn't unusual, says the DOT. When the state and Sound Transit built high-occupancy vehicle ramps in the Interstate 405 median, the Access 405 project, it finished a year early and $25 million under budget.

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com