Making progress towards goal of complete reopening by June 25
information released; photo above — Crews continue to repair washout damage along State Route 20 near milepost 145. The road was damaged during a December atmospheric river
It’s Thur- I mean, Friday!
Checking in with some good news. No, not the BEST news (which would be a full reopening), but progress all the same.
First of two emergency repair projects finishes
Our contractor, Interwest Construction Inc., is on track to complete emergency repairs near Diablo Lake (milepost 131) by the end of today, May 29. This means work to clear the rockslide and stabilize the slope is just about done. Our maintenance team will conduct a final sweep Saturday morning to make sure everything looks good, and once it does…
Access to Diablo Lake, Ross Dam Trailhead restored from west side
Starting Saturday morning, May 30, we’re moving the west side closure point from milepost 130 to the Ross Dam Trailhead (milepost 134), which means access to Diablo Lake Vista Point and Ross Dam Trailhead have been restored from the west!
We posted a video on our Instagram account (forgive the misspelling of “North” – long day) if you want to take a final look at Andrew and his team’s awesome work. You can see more of his updates on TikTok at @upriver19.
Crews have focused on repairing embankments along State Route 20 that were washed out in December and preparing the sub-grade of damaged areas of the highway between mileposts 142 and 148 for paving.
Since emergency repairs began May 3, contractor crews removed loose rock and debris from the slope and conducted extensive scaling work to identify and eliminate unstable material. Crews then drilled holes 20 to 60 feet deep into the rock face and installed more than 1,000 lineal feet of steel dowels in a pattern designed by our geotechnical engineers to stabilize the slope and reduce the risk of future rockfall.
The contractor also removed more than 2,500 cubic yards of debris from the slide area
Work continues on washouts at between MP 142-148
Contractor crews are still tackling the washout damage between Canyon Creek Trailhead (milepost 142) and Granite Creek (milepost 148). Since work began May 13, Trimaxx Construction Inc. of Sedro-Woolley has focused on repairing several locations damaged by December’s atmospheric river events.
The work includes rebuilding highway embankments at three washout sites, restoring more than 1,000 feet of undermined and collapsed roadway and shoulder, and repairing damaged drainage systems, guardrail and concrete barrier along a 6-mile section of SR 20.
You can take a look at some new photos from that work zone on our SR 20 Flickr album.
Once more, with feeling…
Until those repairs are complete, SR 20 remains an active work zone seven days a week between Ross Dam Trailhead (milepost 134) and Porcupine Creek (milepost 156). For the safety of workers and travelers, no access is permitted within the closure area, including for hikers, cyclists, and campers.
Our goal remains to reopen SR 20 in full by June 25.
Until then, take care and travel safe. We hope the restored areas on the west side mean that a few of you can hike your favorite trail this weekend.
Rachel Terlep, Statewide Social Media Manager
rachel.terlep@wsdot.wa.gov
