Work progressing on 101 slide area

By Dan Hammock • September 2, 2021 1:30 am
Crews working under contract with the state Department of Transportation did some clearing work along the slide on Highway 101 Cosi Hill this week as they begin work to shore up the slide that’s kept the roadway to one lane since January 2020. (Courtesy Department of Transportation)
Crews working under contract with the state Department of Transportation did some clearing work along the slide on Highway 101 Cosi Hill this week as they begin work to shore up the slide that’s kept the roadway to one lane since January 2020. (Courtesy Department of Transportation)

Quigg Bros. Construction crews did some clearing work at the end of August as they prepare to dive into the Cosi Hill hillside stabilization project on Highway 101.

The roadway near milepost 78 south of Cosmopolis has been down to one lane alternating traffic since a major slide took out the northbound lane in January 2020.

Crews will place 45 steel beams up to more than 40 feet deep to form a soldier pile wall, so named because the beams are lined up in a way that resembles a line of soldiers. This is similar to what was done in another slide prone area of the highway at Rock Crusher Hill near Artic in 2015.

The $5.8 million project will have the temporary signal that’s been in place for some time directing traffic around the slide and work zone. Most of the work is expected to be complete by the end of spring 2022. Any highway closures will be announced in advance. No work is currently scheduled for weekends or holidays.

Travelers planning to use the route during the construction period should follow the agency’s regional Twitter page at twitter.com/wsdsot_tacoma, and sign up for email or text alerts specific to Grays Harbor County at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/WADOT/subscriber/new?topic_id=WADOT_333.

Crews working under contract with the state Department of Transportation did some clearing work along the slide on Highway 101 Cosi Hill this week as they begin work to shore up the slide that’s kept the roadway to one lane since January 2020. (Courtesy Department of Transportation)

Crews working under contract with the state Department of Transportation did some clearing work along the slide on Highway 101 Cosi Hill this week as they begin work to shore up the slide that’s kept the roadway to one lane since January 2020. (Courtesy Department of Transportation)

Crews working under contract with the state Department of Transportation did some clearing work along the slide on Highway 101 Cosi Hill this week as they begin work to shore up the slide that’s kept the roadway to one lane since January 2020. (Courtesy Department of Transportation)

Crews working under contract with the state Department of Transportation did some clearing work along the slide on Highway 101 Cosi Hill this week as they begin work to shore up the slide that’s kept the roadway to one lane since January 2020. (Courtesy Department of Transportation)