Repairs to Basich Boulevard in the Herbig Heights area of Aberdeen will cost about $500,000 and probably won’t be made until spring or summer, according to an update from the city’s Public Works Department.

“We’ve completely lost the road,” said Rick Sangder, public works director.

Closed due to settlement since before Christmas, the road collapsed dramatically on Tuesday after heavy rain. The land under the road has slid about 20 feet, according to Sangder.

Sangder said a contracted geotechnical engineer told the city it was a “deep-seated, older than 30-year slide.”.

“The slide was there when they built the road,” Sangder said.

“When they build a road over that type of slide, it strengthens for a number of years, and they typically show up 20-plus years later,” he explained.

The road is part of a tsunami evacuation route and the city is hopeful that state emergency management funds will be available to help cover the cost of repairs. The city may also file an insurance claim, he said.

Cascade Natural Gas had a high-pressure gas line in the area, according to Sangder.

“They have put in an over-the-ground gas line and they’re doing a directional bore to keep that area in service,” he said.

Gas line repairs were expected to be completed by the end of this week, he said.

Westport Highway/Charley Creek Flooding

Public Works also offered an update on the Westport Highway being closed on Tuesday because of water over the roadway. Flooding in the area has been an issue due to log jams on Charley Creek that have existed since a number of trees were blown down into the creek in 2007.

“High flows create a surcharge situation where the water gets up to the log jam and is held back. It jumps the creek, runs down the ditch line and comes out on the Westport Highway” Sangder said.

The existing 50-year-old corrugated metal pipe culvert wasn’t sized to carry the flows that come down Charley Creek, according to Sangder. He said that the old, partially collapsed culvert was removed to lower the flooding and will be replaced as soon as the waters go down, he said.