Fourth Plain Boulevard paving begins Tuesday

Beginning Tuesday, new speed limits and paving work along a 10-mile stretch of Fourth Plain Boulevard between Northeast 162nd Avenue and Leadbetter Road will mean longer travel times for drivers.

According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, the work along Fourth Plain Boulevard, also known as state Highway 500, will mean a safer and smoother ride once paving is complete. Transportation officials also said the work is needed to preserve it.

Speed limits are being reduced to slow traffic traveling through the corridor and passing zones are being eliminated to improve safety on the highway, WSDOT said in a press release.

Crews will pave both directions during a two-month period. Drivers should be prepared for delays up to 20 minutes, daytime and nighttime closures, travel limited to a single lane and a pilot car to escort travelers through the work zone.

Residents with driveways along this section should be prepared to wait for a pilot car to navigate them through the work zone.

The new speed limits went into effect June 28. The changes are: 40 mph between Northeast 162nd and 166th avenues in Vancouver; 45 mph between Northeast 166th Avenue and Robinson Road near Camas; and 35 mph between Robinson Road and near Southeast Fifth Street in Camas.

When the paving project finishes in August, all existing passing zones will be closed from Northeast 166th Avenue to Hathaway Road, removing all passing opportunities on the corridor.