Expansion joints replaced on I-5 Union Slough bridge in Washington

Construction crews recently finished work to fix roadway ruts and replace 10 aging bridge expansion joints on I-5’s Union Slough bridge near Everett, Washington.

Expansion joints are an important part of a bridge’s structural integrity. They enable portions of the bridge to flex with traffic loads or expand and contract when the temperatures change. When expansion joints grow old and begin to degrade, they are a significant danger to drivers and bridges.

The project is part of an overall bridge preservation project that will replace 41 expansion joints. The bridges with joints that need replacement are located from Everett to Marysville, crossing over Steamboat, Union, and Ebey sloughs.

The crews on the Union Slough bridge still need to finish checking the expansion joints’ seals for leaks. They also need to finalize the rut repairs on the roadway. 

“This is a huge step forward and we are happy the work is going so well,” Washington State Department of Transportation Project Engineer Mark Sawyer said. “PCL Civil Contractors is doing a great job of working quickly to preserve these bridges while minimizing the effect on traffic.”