Date:  Friday, September 12, 2008

Contact: Dave Lindberg, WSDOT Project Engineer, (425) 814-7104 (Redmond)
Meghan Soptich, WSDOT Communications, (206) 440-4704 (Seattle)

Work will stabilize section of roadway damaged by 2006 storms

INDEX – Starting Monday, Sept. 15 and continuing through November, drivers can expect single-lane weekday closures on US 2 east of Index as crews start permanent repairs to the highway. Crews will stabilize the slope under a section of roadway that sank over seven feet during record rains in November 2006.

“We temporarily repaired the highway last year with a soil nail wall,” said Project Engineer Dave Lindberg. “Once the permanent repair is complete, we’ll be able to repave the road and restore the original alignment.”

Crews will use steel beams to construct a 200-foot-long soldier pile wall. They’ll fill the gaps between the beams with timber to form a solid wall and anchor the beams into the hillside with 40- to 50-foot steel cables. Crews will also install a new drainage system to help prevent further erosion.

After they build the wall, crews will repave the road and return the highway to its original configuration. With the sharp curve eliminated, crews will be able to restore the 60 mph speed limit. WSDOT reduced the speed limit to 35 mph to keep drivers safe as they navigated through the sharp curve and temporary repair work.

“We thank drivers for their patience as we designed the permanent repair for this challenging area,” said Lindberg. “We expect the work to go smoothly and hope to get the highway back in shape well before ski season.”

Crews have been busy this summer improving more than 40 miles of US 2 between Monroe and Stevens Pass. This month crews are also wrapping up work on a slope stabilization project near Sunset Falls, about 5100 feet to the east of this project.

The permanent repairs are estimated at $2.9 million and are primarily funded by federal emergency aid. For more information and a design visualization of the soldier pile wall, visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/US2/SunsetLandslide.

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