Slope stabilization work brings daytime closures and delays on SR 14 east of Bingen starting Feb. 14

Washington State Department of Transportation’s contractor, Strider Construction, Inc., needs daytime hours for rock scaling and slope stabilization work in two locations on the north side of SR 14 just west of the Chamberlain Lake Rest Area, according to a press release.

Travelers can expect:

• Full roadway closures lasting 45-minutes Mondays through Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the first few weeks of the project. The 45-minute closures will begin at the start of each hour, with a 15-minute window to clear stacked up traffic on either side of the closure.

• Single- and double-lane closures with delays of 20 minutes will be in place on Fridays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The 45-minute full closures will end approximately 4-6 weeks into the project. After that, weekday, single- and double-lane closures with 20-minute delays will be in place during the hours listed above for the duration of the project. Drivers are encouraged to use caution and lower speeds through the work zone.

“For several years, both locations have seen frequent rockfall events that dropped large rocks and boulders onto the roadway, covering a portion of the highway and the ditch line,” said Project Engineer Mike Briggs. “We understand that travel delays due to construction can be frustrating, however, the work to stabilize the slope is important for the safety of the traveling public by limiting these types of rockfall events and related emergency travel delays.”

Crews will remove debris and trees, scale rock and install dowels into the hillside to secure the face of the rock slopes. Work includes constructing a rockfall catchment ditch consisting of a wider and deeper ditch line, protected by concrete barrier. This rockfall catchment ditch will help contain rockfall that originates from this slope, reducing the amount of rock and debris that falls onto the roadway.

This $3 million dollar project is scheduled for completion this summer.

Know before you go

Before heading out the door, travelers can get real-time traveler information with the WSDOT mobile app (wsdot.wa.gov/travel/travel-information-phone) or by visiting the real-time travel data webpage (wsdot.com/travel/real-time).