The Washington state Department of Transportation has awarded a contract valued at just under $1.7 million to Spokane-based Inland Asphalt Co. to resurface about six miles of Interstate 90 on the West Plains.

Spokane-based DOT spokesman Al Gilson says the project area extends from the Geiger Boulevard interchange to just west of the State Route 904 interchange at Four Lakes, Wash.

The DOT says routine wear and tear, along with studded tire damage, has worn down the pavement surface in areas and has created ruts in places.

Construction is set to start this month and will take about six weeks to complete, Gilson says.

He says crews will grind down the top layer of the freeway and then will resurface it with asphalt. Other work includes guardrail upgrades in some areas, sign replacements, and the installation of new rumble strips on the shoulders of the road. Crews also will repaint lane lines, he says.

Inland Asphalt's bid for the project came in more than a quarter lower than the project engineer's estimate of about $2.3 million.

Gilson says that during construction, drivers will encounter single-lane closures and reduced speeds from 70 mph to 60 mph through the work zone.

The upcoming resurfacing project picks up on the west end of where crews currently are rehabilitating a five-mile stretch of I-90 between the Maple Street interchange and the Geiger interchange.

The contractor of that $7.8 million project, which has been ongoing since last spring, is Acme Concrete Paving Inc., of Spokane.