PORT ANGELES – After nine weeks of construction, the Washington State Department of Transportation has reopened State Route 112 at milepost 32 near Jim Creek in Clallam County.
“Our crews know how important SR 112 is to the local community,” said WSDOT Project Engineer Dan McKernan. “Weather conditions prevented paving before the Memorial Day weekend. We are glad this work is now complete, and the highway is reopened to Olympic Peninsula travelers.”
During the week of June 6, travelers will see one-way alternating traffic while crews finalize culvert installations. The work is not scheduled to last more than a day.
Heavy rains caused the highway to drop four feet in November 2021. WSDOT’s emergency contractor, Scarsella Bros., began repair work on Monday, March 28 which included:
- Removing guardrail
- Clearing fallen vegetation
- Excavating the roadway 20 feet below grade level
- Installing drainage
- Rebuilding and paving the roadway
History of slide activity
In July 2021, WSDOT completed a $1.4 million emergency contract to reopen SR 112 at five locations, including this location, after heavy rains caused the roadway to drop 13 feet. Due to the topographical and geological condition of site, design and hydraulic engineers took a calculated approach to fixing it by installing horizontal trench drains to alleviate ground saturation.
Clallam Bay work wraps up
Further west, crews reopened SR 112 at milepost 15.8 near Clallam Bay to alternating travel on March 21, 2022. Hours before it was scheduled to fully reopen, the highway dropped four inches in the eastbound lane. The highway is currently open to two-way traffic with the eastbound lane being unpaved for about 80 feet. Through late June, crews will install a new surface culvert at the site to move water more efficiently and complete final paving. Once that work is complete and the eastbound lane paving is done, crews will officially reopen the highway to two-way travel.
Olympic Peninsula travelers are encouraged to sign up for email updates. Real-time traffic information is available on the WSDOT app and WSDOT regional Twitter account.