Date:
Friday, July 27, 2007
Contact:
Colin Newell, Project Engineer, (866) 713-2412 (toll-free in Chehalis)
Alissa Bateman, WSDOT Communications, (360) 905-2078 (Vancouver)
CHEHALIS – State Route 508 at Bear Canyon reopened at 2:30 p.m. today, after major reconstruction efforts over the last few months. The highway will now be open to motorists at all times of the day. Limited, scheduled openings had begun in late June; motorists had been directed by a pilot car and flaggers through the construction area.
“We’re pleased to announce that repairs are complete and that the highway is now open around the clock,” said Project Engineer Colin Newell. “We appreciate the community’s patience as we completed the necessary repairs to the severely damaged highway.”
This project required the contractor to install 58 steel soldier piles, necessary for the reconstruction. In addition, over 88,000 feet of 6 X 6 timber lagging was required to construct the wall, which is 450 feet in length. Before the wall construction could begin, the contractor had to remove more than 7,000 cubic yards of debris. Material also had to be used to restore the roadway surface.
Crews will continue the final items of work, including installing asphalt concrete curbs, traffic markings, and seeding. The traveling public can expect shoulder closures in the area while crews work to complete the final items of work.
The road was closed in early November 2006, when heavy rains contributed to the severely unstable slope to fail. Construction to repair the severely damaged roadway began April 23. Limited, scheduled openings began in late June, after construction progressed to a point where motorists could safely drive through the area, directed by flaggers and a pilot car. The highway was reconstructed by building a wall that is more that 450 feet long.
To learn more about this project, review updates and view project photos, 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 construction site, contact Alissa Bateman at (360) 905-2078.
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