By Bruce A. Smith
The Washington State DOT has issued the following press release announcing the closure of Mountain Highway due west of Eatonville for several months. The state will be repairing a section of hillside that is prone to land slides, and traffic will be diverted along either the Eatonville Cut-off Rd or the SR 161 extenstion south of town and then through downtown and east via the Alder Cut-off Rd.
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I would like to update you on the status of this project. You may recall that we had an extended closure of that section of highway from June to October, 2012 due to a landslide and the potential for additional debris to fall onto the highway. Since October, the highway section has had narrowed lanes, a reduced speed limit, and a wall of steel containers designed to contain any falling debris.
We are scheduled to begin construction on the permanent repair of the highway section this summer. The work will begin after the 4th of July holiday and run through November. During construction, a segment of SR 7 will close and the same detour using SR 161 and Alder Cutoff Road will be implemented. The nature of working with unstable slopes and potential earth movement requires a full closure of the highway to the traveling public.
WSDOT will accommodate high traffic volumes during Morton Logger’s Jubilee and Labor Day weekend by temporarily re-opening SR 7. The highway will open from 6 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 8 to 6 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13, and again from 6 a.m. Friday, Aug. 30 to 6 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3.
During construction, crews will install a debris containment wall that will prevent debris on the slope from sliding down onto the roadway. The temporary steel containers will also be removed.
We have attached a flier with information about the closure and detour. It is our hope that the flier will be a useful tool for you to prepare drivers in the area with information about how to access businesses, services and tourist destinations during the highway closure. Please feel free to distribute.
We thank you and everyone in the area for your patience and tolerance as we move forward with this permanent solution.
The Mountain News - WA 