Date:  Monday, September 24, 2007

Contact: Greg Phipps, WSDOT Communications, (206) 440-4702 (Seattle)
Eric Walkinshaw, Mount Rainier National Park Project Manager, (360) 569-2166

Mount Rainier National Park, Western Federal Lands Highway Division, and Washington State Department of Transportation announce that State Route 123 within Mount Rainier National Park will reopen at noon, Friday, Sept. 28, 2007, following extensive flood damage repair.

Due to the nature of the extensive damage, a 10.9-mile long segment of SR 123 from just south of Cayuse Pass (intersection with SR 410) to just north of the intersection with the Stevens Canyon Road has been closed to all traffic since the damage occurred in November 2006. SR 123 usually closes between late fall and mid-spring due to heavy snowfall and avalanche risk.
 
“We have worked closely with WFLHD geotechnical/design engineers in assessing the damage, developing repair strategies, and overseeing the repair contract,” ark Superintendent Dave Uberuaga said.

The award for the repair contract was made by WFLHD to Saybr Contractors Inc. of Tacoma Washington for $4,937,800 on June 5, 2007, and the repair work got underway by June 18.

Beginning Monday, Oct. 1 through Thursday, Oct. 25 (weather dependent), Wildlands, Inc. of Richland, Washington will complete vegetation restoration work at the recently repaired flood damage sites on SR 123. Travelers are advised to anticipate maximum 20-minute delays and to travel cautiously through the area.

WSDOT maintains SR 123 within park boundaries under an agreement with the park. Working with WFLHD, Mount Rainier is responsible for planning and funding highway improvements and repairs.

The November floods also damaged sections of the Stevens Canyon Road that connect the east and west sides of the park. A contract for the repair of Stevens Canyon Road was made to Cherokee Joint Venture, LLC of North Bonneville, Washington for $552,504 on Aug. 15, 2007. Due to the nature of the extensive damage and subsequent repairs, a four-mile-long section of the 19-mile-long Stevens Canyon Road is currently closed to traffic for the remaining season. The closure area is just east of the Backbone Ridge viewpoint and just west of the popular Grove of the Patriarchs area. The public is able to access west to east across the park via Forest Service Road 52 (Skate Creek Road), between Ashford on SR 706 and Packwood on US 12.

Updated information on this project may be obtained by calling Mount Rainier National Park at 360-569-2166. Information on this project, as well as general park information, is also available on Mount Rainier National Park’s Intranet home page (www.nps.gov/mora).

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