Heavy rains triggered multiple landslides and highway closures across the Olympic Peninsula beginning Nov. 15, 2021. WSDOT maintenance crews immediately sprang into action clearing dozens of slides and fallen trees. Some sites experienced additional flooding in the weeks to follow and required specialized repair plans.
In February 2022, Interwest Construction crews, WSDOT’s first emergency contractor, cut a temporary access road and removed slide debris in and around the culvert. The culvert is located 70 feet below the highway. The inspection revealed that the culvert is not just clogged, but badly damaged from the storm and needs replacement. As such, WSDOT maintenance crews have been forced to pump water from the location to prevent ponding water and further damage to the roadway. This is very time consuming and costly.
Work includes: Culvert replacement, stabilizing the hillside with quarry spalls, removing slide debris from the stream, erosion control, guardrail replacement, hillside grading and pavement repairs.
This barrier also impedes fish migration. WSDOT and Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife have previously identified this culvert for replacement related to the 2013 federal court injunction. The potential habitat gain for this barrier correction is relatively low – less than 80 meters.
WSDOT will continue to work with state and tribal partners to determine a long-term solution. Because the highway is immediately threatened and a vital route for US 101 and SR 112 travelers, including the Makah Tribe, the agency is taking swift action. It is not practical to continue long-term pumping operations. WSDOT has prioritized this repair project to ensure Burnt Mountain Road (SR 113) remains open.
Future work will be done later once the location is safely corrected and done in conjunction with regulatory partners.
This project is budgeted for $1.5 million and does not include long-term design solutions for additional work.
The state is submitting for federal reimbursement due to regionwide flooding and storms associated with this contract.
Photo album chronicling the storm that closed every highway in Clallam County.
Learn about WSDOT's fish barrier correction program.
