Date:  Monday, March 02, 2009

Contact: Chris Keegan, Regional Operations Manager, 360-357-2604
              Kelly Stowe, WSDOT Communications, 360-357-2716

PORT ANGELES – Crews begin temporary repairs today on a stretch of State Route 112 that was damaged by a landslide two months ago.

If weather cooperates, this Clallam County route could reopen to traffic in a matter of weeks. However, motorists shouldn’t expect to see a roadway that resembles the one that existed prior to the slide. The temporary fix is a 14-foot-wide gravel road that reconnects SR 112 and allows for one-way, alternating traffic with a reduced speed limit.

“Our first order of business was to make sure it was safe for our workers to be out there,” said WSDOT Olympic Region Administrator Kevin Dayton. “Now we turn our attention to getting the highway back open to traffic.”

SR 112 has been closed at milepost 37 since Jan. 8, when the slide buckled the pavement and dropped the roadway as much as eight feet in sections. It was only recently that the area was deemed safe for work crews to begin repairs.

There are no official plans yet for a permanent fix, though WSDOT is working on design and funding possibilities.

Photos of slide damage online: www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot/sets/72157612323544615/.

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