Date:
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Contact:
Glenn Schneider, Construction Engineer Manager, (360) 905-2005 (Vancouver)
Alissa Bateman, WSDOT Communications, (360) 905-2078 (Vancouver)
CHEHALIS – Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Engineers have completed the design to repair SR 508 at Bear Canyon in Lewis County. A contractor should be selected by late April, and repairs to the severely damaged highway will begin this spring. Construction is expected to last between 2 and 3 months.
The road has been closed since early November, when heavy rains contributed to the unstable slope. The damage to the roadway was so severe, geotechnical specialists had to wait for the landslide to stabilize before they could begin the necessary field work to evaluate the repairs. Since that time, specialists have evaluated the slope and have been working towards finding the best long-term solution. The location of this damaged roadway was particularly complex due to the geometry of the highway, soil and rock conditions, and environmental constraints.
The highway will be rebuilt by constructing a wall that is more that 450 feet long. It will tie into an existing wall. The highway will then be re-established in its original alignment. The roadway embankment will be reconstructed and the highway will be resurfaced. Guardrail will also be installed.
This unstable section of SR 508 remains closed to motorists, as well as to pedestrians and bicycles. WSDOT urges the public to stay out of the closure area due to instability of the roadway. To enhance public safety, “no trespassing” signs and fencing were installed to close off the area to non-motorized vehicles and pedestrians, and to prevent non-authorized persons from entering the area.
The detour that remains is as follows:
East of Cinebar
Motorists east of Cinebar on SR 508 are detoured to US 12 in Morton.
West of Cinebar
Motorists west of Cinebar on SR 508 are detoured to I-5 south, then to US 12.
To learn more about this project and review updates as they become available, visit the project Web page at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/SR508/BearCanyon.
For the most current project and travel information, visit the Southwest Region Construction Update and Travel Advisory page at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Regions/SouthWest/Construction. The page is updated each Friday for the next week’s traffic impacts.
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Editor’s Note: For digital photos of the unstable slope, contact Alissa Bateman at (360) 905-2078.
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