Washington State Department of Transportation awarded Skanska USA Civil the construction contract of the SR 99 S. Holgate Street to S. King Street: Stage 2 project. Skanska, based in Riverside, California, submitted the low bid of $114,569,194.25. The bid was 25 percent under WSDOT’s $152,620,104.46 estimate.

“It’s official. This summer we’ll begin work to replace almost half of the aging and seismically vulnerable Alaskan Way Viaduct,” said Paula Hammond, Washington Transportation Secretary. “This work is vital to public safety, and will also ensure that traffic, goods and services continue to move across the region.”

Drivers won’t see any major construction closures or detours until early next year. SR 99 will remain open to traffic during construction.

“We are thrilled to have Skanska on board,” said Ron Paananen, WSDOT’s Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement Program Administrator. “While most of the construction activities this year will not disrupt traffic, the public will notice a lot of work taking place in our construction areas near the sports stadiums.”

When complete in 2013, the southern mile of the Alaskan Way Viaduct will be replaced with a new side-by-side roadway that meets current earthquake standards, has wider lanes and improves mobility for people and goods in the Seattle area. The new SR 99 also will feature new on- and off-ramps near Seattle’s stadiums that will replace the existing ramps to and from First Avenue S.

This stage of the project will put more than 600 people to work beginning this summer.

The new roadway will connect to any future replacement of the viaduct’s central waterfront section, including the proposed bored tunnel. A newly painted orange column identifies the northern limits of this project. A four-lane construction detour will connect the new section of SR 99 to the existing viaduct just south of S. King Street until the central waterfront section replacement is completed. For more information on the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement program, visit www.alaskanwayviaduct.org/.