A landslide below Pioneer Street occurred on Jan. 28, and only one lane has been open since then, although a maintenance crew is expected to finish fixing the street by May 13. (Washington State Department of Transportation)
The road to Ridgefield is almost fixed.
Ever since a Jan. 28 landslide, Pioneer Street has been a one-lane road between North Smythe Road and North Reiman Road with temporary traffic lights at both ends. The Washington State Department of Transportation sent geotechnical engineers to the site to survey the issue, and hired an emergency contractor to repair the road.
The crew is still working on Pioneer Street and is expected to finish by May 13.
“We know this is an inconvenience for the residents and anyone going to Ridgefield, but our contractor is working safely to get it re-opened,” said Tamara Greenwell, WSDOT spokeswoman.
Heavy rains caused the landslide, which led to a tree falling onto Pioneer in January. The street was closed most of that day and since has been a one-lane road with speed reduced from 40 to 25 mph. The crew is almost done with the first step of their work, Greenwell said.
“Currently, they are working to stabilize the hillside, so they are building the rock face of the slope,” she said. “Once they’ve got that stabilized, they will work to repair the pavement of the highway. After that, they’ll go in and put back the guard rail.”
To stabilize the hillside, the crew first had to excavate loose soil from the bottom of the hill and the creek below Pioneer. Next, the contractor built up the slope with rocks to make sure the hillside will stay put.
The contractor started work April 4, once WSDOT’s engineers fully studied the area, and they have 30 working days to complete the project. Greenwell said everything is on schedule to be completed. Once it is, Pioneer will return to a two-lane street.
One possible thing that could push back the project is weather, Greenwell said. The contractor needs dry weather, especially for paving and striping.
“If we get heavy rains, we have to delay the work and deadlines,” she said. “Thankfully, we’ve had really good weather. If that continues, the work should be done by the 13th.”
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