Date:  Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Contact: Susan Fell, WSDOT Assistant Project Engineer, 360-759-1310 (Vancouver)
Abbi Russell, WSDOT Communications, 360-905-2058 (Vancouver)

STEVENSON – Drivers will face continued closures on State Route 14 after geotechnical inspectors found more unstable rock high on the slopes near Dog Mountain (milepost 54).

Drivers can expect up to 20-minute delays starting Monday, Nov. 29, as crews reduce the highway to one lane between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday just east of the Dog Mountain trailhead. Flaggers will direct traffic through the area.

Contractor crews with Hi-Tech Rockfall, Inc. of Forest Grove, Ore., will drill into the slope and install long steel dowels to secure blocks of unstable rock. Crews apply tension to the dowels and they are grouted in place to increase slope strength and stability.

Crews will also apply a concrete-like substance to stabilize a small area of loose material that cannot be secured using rock bolts.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) recently completed the SR 14, Rockfall Mitigation White Salmon Vicinity project, which removed loose rock and stabilized slopes above the highway near Dog Mountain and White Salmon (milepost 64).

WSDOT geotechnical engineers inspected the slopes when crews completed work in September and found them to be properly stabilized. However, recent heavy rains loosened more rock above these slopes, and that area needs to be addressed before winter weather causes further erosion.

Crews will monitor this area once stabilization work is completed to determine if additional scaling work is needed. Short-term full closures of SR 14 may be required if crews need to scale the slope. Drivers can check WSDOT’s Construction Update and Travel Alerts websites, or call 5-1-1 for the latest traffic impacts.

This weather-dependent stabilization work is expected to be complete by the end of the year.

WSDOT has dedicated $300 million to evaluate, prioritize and mitigate unstable slopes through the Unstable Slope Management System (USMS). The USMS helps WSDOT protect public safety and investment in the state’s highways. For more information, please visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/biz/mats/Geotech/usms.htm.

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WSDOT's mission is to keep 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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