Slope stabilization along SR 17 underway
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 1 month AGO
Those traveling along the area marked in orange on SR 17 north of Soap Lake may want to find alternate routes as the Washington Department of Transportation works to stabilize slopes in the area near the road.
COURTESY GRAPHIC/WSDOT
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | February 21, 2024 5:33 PM
SOAP LAKE — The section of State Route 17 between the Lake Lenore Caves and the Soap Lake city limits will be subject to frequent closures on weekdays, probably at least through early September. Contractors will be working on a project to remove loose rocks and stabilize the remaining slope where the highway runs between the rock embankment and the lakes, a stretch of about 10 miles.
Work on the project started Tuesday. Total cost is about $7.86 million.
While crews are working, SR 17 in the work zone will be open for 15 minutes at the start of every hour. Then it will be closed until the start of the next hour. Crews will be working in the project area from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to the Washington Department of Transportation website.
Miguel Castillo, WSDOT Engineer for the project, said in an earlier interview the painstaking nature of the work makes it a slow and time-consuming project. Work is projected to last through late August or early September.
The goal is to stabilize the face of the embankment, which is mostly rock. Castillo said rocks have been falling in the road as the result of the erosion of the rock face; part of the work is pulling down the loose rocks. Spots that are subject to erosion but haven’t yet worked their way loose will be bolted to the solid rock behind them.
Steel netting will be installed over the cliff to keep any other rocks that still might fall from landing in the road, Castillo said.
In addition to the work on the cliff, crews will be grinding down the existing road surface, applying a new layer of asphalt and adding rumble strips.
The project does not have a designated detour route, the WSDOT website said.
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