SR 109 open again after state crews find ‘no significant damage that would indicate future slope concerns’

By Dan Hammock • February 3, 2021 3:00 pm
COURTESY HOQUIAM POLICE DEPARTMENT A welcome sign, so to speak, greeted drivers on State Route 109 Tuesday afternoon - the road closed signs had come down as the state Department of Transportation reopened the roadway after determining no significant damage that would indicate future slope concerns at the scene of a major slide and subsequent smaller slide that closed the roadway twice over the past two weeks.
COURTESY HOQUIAM POLICE DEPARTMENT A welcome sign, so to speak, greeted drivers on State Route 109 Tuesday afternoon - the road closed signs had come down as the state Department of Transportation reopened the roadway after determining no significant damage that would indicate future slope concerns at the scene of a major slide and subsequent smaller slide that closed the roadway twice over the past two weeks.

State Department of Transportation engineering geologists Monday “discovered no significant damage that would indicate future slope concerns” at the scene of a major slide on State Route 109.

The roadway reopened Tuesday afternoon.

Sunday, Jan. 17, the roadway — just west of the Hoquiam city limits at Grays Harbor Boulevard — was closed for a 300-foot long, 90-foot deep slide that dumped more than 30,000 tons of soil and woody debris across both lanes and into the bay.

The state entered an emergency contract with Brumfield Construction and after removing all that material, the roadway reopened Saturday evening. However, just hours later, rocks and other debris were found on the roadway during another period of drenching rain, and the roadway was closed at 5 a.m.

After assessment by the engineers, the roadway reopened Tuesday. Travelers will see a concrete barrier installed on the westbound shoulder as a containment measure to prevent small debris from entering the travel lanes.

“As with many slide sites, some material may continue to slough from the hillside,” read a department statement. “Maintenance crews will continue to monitor the roadway and the hillside above.”