Drivers have more access to the state Route 167 HOT lanes beginning this morning. On the evening of Sunday, Aug. 10, contractor Specialized Pavement Marking, Inc. were scheduled to begin nighttime work to remove the double white line and replace it with a single white line so that drivers can enter and exit the HOT lanes at almost any point along the corridor.

The striping work was originally scheduled to take 10 nights, but the contractor rewrote the schedule to accommodate use of equipment that can complete the 13 miles of work in each direction in just five nights, weather permitting.

The work will begin at the south end of the northbound lanes in Auburn and work its way north. Once the northbound work is complete, crews will switch over to the north end of the southbound lanes in Renton and work their way south. Construction is scheduled to occur at nighttime through Thursday, with striping during the week of Aug. 10-14 and sign removal and placement taking place Aug. 17-21.

Crews have to grind off the inside stripe and paint the dashed segments so that they are solid white lines. During the interim, drivers should continue to obey the law not to cross double white lines in the areas where the double lines remain. After the project is completed, there will remain double white lines at the ends of the HOT lanes to eliminate weaving at these locations. Crews will also remove and change signs as part of the project.

“We’ve listened to drivers and we’re making it easier for them to access the HOT lanes,”Project Engineer Jennifer Charlebois said in a press release. “If you see a single white line you can cross it.”

The northbound HOT lane may be closed from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Crews will close up to two northbound lanes between10 p.m. and 4 a.m. At least one northbound lane will be open at all times.

The southbound HOT lane may be closed between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. Up to two southbound lanes can be closed between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. At least one southbound lane will be open at all times.

Striping work is weather dependent and so needs to be done during the summer. Inclement weather could delay this work.