Date:  Friday, November 05, 2010

Contact: Chris Tams, Columbia Gorge Area Engineer, 866-279-0730 toll-free (Vancouver)
Abbi Russell, WSDOT Communications, (360) 905-2058 (Vancouver)

WASHOUGAL – A busy, curvy section of State Route 14 near Cape Horn is getting some much needed safety improvements.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) began construction this week on the SR 14, Cape Horn Bridge to Cape Horn Road Safety Improvements project.

The $6.5 million project straightens two curves on SR 14 near the Cape Horn viewpoint and adds turn lanes at key intersections to the east. Crews will construct turn lanes on SR 14 for both directions of traffic at Salmon Falls Road and a left turn lane for westbound traffic at Cape Horn Road.

Crews will close SR 14 for up to an hour at a time this fall and winter to blast rock from the north side of SR 14 just east of the Cape Horn viewpoint. WSDOT will inform drivers in advance when full closures are scheduled.

Additionally, drivers can expect single-lane closures during the day Monday through Friday and up to 20-minute delays. The project is scheduled to be complete in fall 2011.

WSDOT is also working in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service and Western Federal Lands Highway Division to construct two pedestrian tunnels underneath SR 14, one near the Cape Horn viewpoint and the other near Cape Horn Road.

During tunnel construction next spring, drivers will encounter around-the-clock, single-lane traffic with an automated signal. Delays of up to 20 minutes are possible.

A 15-mile section of SR 14 was designated as a Traffic Safety Corridor in 2004. The Washington Traffic Safety Commission, in cooperation with WSDOT and the Washington State Patrol, designates Traffic Safety Corridors at the request of local communities. The end goal is to reduce fatal and disabling collisions on roadways with significant safety needs.

A task force made up of community groups, businesses, local, state and federal organizations and emergency services organizations provided leadership to identify and address safety concerns along SR 14 between the Clark/Skamania county line and North Bonneville (mileposts 21.7 to 37).

Keep up-to-date on construction-related traffic impacts by visiting WSDOT’s Travel Alerts and Southwest Region Construction Update web pages.

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WSDOT keeps people, businesses and the economy moving by operating and improving the state's transportation systems. To learn more about what we're doing, go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/news for pictures, videos, news and blogs. Real time traffic information is available at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic or by dialing 5-1-1.

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