Drivers on a particularly bumpy section of State Route in Maple Valley can look forward to a smoother ride this summer. This week, WSDOT awarded the $1.2 million contract to repave and repair 1.6 miles of SR 169 to Lakeside Industries, Inc.

Work is scheduled to begin in April.

The road preservation project will support an estimated 12 jobs.

“We worked closely with the community to plan this project,” said WSDOT project engineer Aleta Borschowa. “Repaving and repairing this important local route will make it safer and easier for residents and freight haulers to use the corridor.”

When work begins between SE 264th Street and Witte Road, contractor crews will remove or repair 54 cracked concrete panels and repave 1.6 miles of the highway.

The final result will end costly temporary repairs, provide drivers with a safer and smoother ride, and lengthen the life of the road.

Once construction begins in April, drivers can expect alternating traffic through the work zone on weeknights from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Construction should wrap up in late summer. For more information about this project, please visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr169/264towitteroad/.

SR 169 drivers should also note that work continues on the nearby SR 169 Green River Bridge long-term repair project. WSDOT closed the Green River Bridge in November 2008 after a deluge of heavy rainstorms caused an ancient landslide to shift and weaken the piers that support the bridge. Crews began emergency repairs in December and expect to finish up work in July. For more information about this project, please visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr169/greenriverrepair/.

Drivers can stay informed of nightly closures and route changes by visiting, www.wsdot.wa.gov/Northwest/King/Construction/.