Date:  Tuesday, December 04, 2007

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

SNOHOMISH – WSDOT engineers are working quickly to design repairs for SR 96 (Seattle Hill Road) south of Snohomish after flooding collapsed a culvert and washed out the ground under a section of the road. The road has been closed since Monday, Dec. 3 to keep drivers safe while crews assessed the damage.

“We know this is an inconvenience for drivers and residents in the area,” said Regional Administrator Lorena Eng. “We are making this a top priority and hope to begin repairs next week.”

Around 10 a.m. Monday morning, maintenance crews noticed a sinkhole in the shoulder of the roadway. Looking closer, they discovered that much of the ground supporting the road had washed out.

“The rain came down so fast that the water built up almost to the level of the road on the upstream side,” said Eng. “The flooding reached about 12 to 15 feet and all that water just overwhelmed the culvert.”

By Tuesday afternoon, the hole under the road had grown to 40 feet long and 25 feet deep, and stretched from the edge of the road to the centerline – about 15 to 18 feet. The hole continues to grow as water washes away more material.

The road will remain closed between 125th St SE and 60th Ave SE until repairs are finished. Crews have put up signed detours directing drivers to Cathcart Way and SR 9 to get around the closure.

“We’ve had some drivers trying to go around the barrier at the closure,” said Eng. “That’s a really bad idea. Although drivers may only notice the damage to the shoulder, there’s nothing supporting the remaining asphalt. The closure is there to keep them safe.”

Engineers are now designing the road repairs. They have to consider a lot of factors, including nearby wetlands and utilities that run under the road. The fix is complicated because existing walls supporting the roadway have also been undermined.

If the necessary materials are available, engineers hope to start work next week, and expect the repairs to take about four to five weeks. The final budget will be determined by the project design, but engineers now estimate that the total project cost will be between $3 and $5 million.

For more information on current road conditions and closures, visit our Web page: www.wsdot.wa.gov/news/update.

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