Date:  Thursday, December 13, 2007

Contact: Meghan Soptich, WSDOT Communications, 206-440-4704 (Seattle)
Marlin Lenssen, WSDOT Project Engineer, 425-225-8796 (Everett)

SNOHOMISH – Just a week after storms damaged a section of State Route 96 (Seattle Hill Road), work is under way to repair the roadway and reopen it to traffic. On Tuesday, Wilder Construction crews working for WSDOT began working to replace a culvert that failed during last week’s storms, washing out the ground under the roadway.

“Our goal is to get the road repaired and opened to drivers as quickly as possible,” said Project Engineer Marlin Lenssen. “We are pleased that we’ve been able to get the contractor out on site this week to get the work started.”

Crews have already begun setting up erosion control, installing temporary fencing and removing guardrail and handrail from the damaged roadway. They’ll spend the rest of the week excavating the site and removing asphalt to give them the room they need to replace the culvert.

“This isn’t as simple as removing the old pipe and putting in a new one,” Lenssen explained. “We’re dealing with underground and above ground utilities and a nearby wetland. There’s a lot of water in the area that has to be diverted or contained while we work.”

Crews will replace the failed 18-inch pipe with a 10-foot by 5-foot box culvert, which will accommodate larger volumes of water and improve fish passage. In addition to the culvert replacement, they’ll also replace a damaged retaining wall on the downhill side of the road, add a new retaining wall on the uphill side of the road, repave the damaged section of SR 96, replace guardrail and handrail, and repair the drainage system.

The road will remain closed between 125th St SE and 60th Ave SE until repairs are finished. Drivers can use Cathcart Way and SR 9 to get around the closure. Traffic engineers have retimed the traffic signals on SR 9 to accommodate additional vehicles and keep traffic moving.

Engineers estimate that the project will cost between $3 and $5 million and expect to have repairs wrapped up by mid-January. For more information, visit our project Web page: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR96/SeattleHillRoadSlideRepair.

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