Paving on I-90 near Ritzville will switch to overnight work

RITZVILLE – Travelers using both directions of Interstate 90 between the Tokio interchange and east to the Lincoln County line are encouraged to plan additional travel time to prevent delays, according to the Spokane Transportation Maintenance Center.

Last week, due to the extreme heat throughout the region, a single lane closure had been utilized 24-hours a day to allow sufficient time for the pavement to cool and prevent damaging the new asphalt. Due to ongoing extended travel times, the decision was made to switch to night work only starting Tuesday, July 20, and alleviate any daytime backups on I-90.

The new hours of work anticipated are from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., nightly from Tuesday, July 20, through Saturday, July 24. Night work on the project will continue into the following week.

The project is expected to last until Friday, July 30, when paving and most major impacts to I-90 are complete. Other work will continue on the project into August.

Crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation began the I-90 Tokio to Lincoln County line paving project on Monday, July 12.

Before heading out the door, travelers can find highway conditions on the WSDOT Travel Alerts page, mobile app and on the Regional Twitter account.