WSDOT to begin work on 4 emergency repair projects on Whatcom roadways damaged in floods
Not two weeks after record storms ravaged Whatcom County, the Washington State Department of Transportation announced it plans to begin work with contractors after Thanksgiving to begin four emergency repair projects along Whatcom highways damaged by flooding.
WSDOT crews began assessing damages on state highways once the floodwaters receded from the Nov. 13-15 storms and determined where emergency repairs were needed.
“Our goal is to issue emergency contracts to repair and stabilize these areas as quickly as possible so that we can preserve the roads we have,” Assistant Regional Administrator for the Mount Baker Area Chris Damitio said in a WSDOT release.
According to the WSDOT release, Whatcom County emergency repairs include:
▪ State Route 9: Replacing roadway that washed out north of Nugents Corner near milepost 84.
▪ State Route 544: Fixing a washed out section of a pedestrian pathway and a shoulder just west of the North Fork Nooksack bridge between mileposts 7 and 8. Work also will include repairing damage to an overflow structure and headwall on the highway.
▪ State Route 542: Constructing log-based bank protections near mileposts 39, 42 and 45 and making embankment and roadway shoulder repairs at those sites. An additional emergency repair project on the Mount Baker Highway will work on the Mount Baker Highway will include repairing the shoulder approach and damage close to Boulder Creek, reestablishing the creek so it flows under the bridge.
WSDOT said it will give further updates on how the emergency repairs will impact travel with closures and anticipated delays.
“The nature of emergency repair work is to get in and out as safely and efficiently as possible,” said engineering manager Shane Spahr, who will oversee the emergency contracts. “We want to be good community partners and help restore the normal flow of people, goods and services just as quickly as we can.”
An additional emergency project is planned on State Route 20 in Skagit County to replace several broken concrete barriers, fix sections of the the shoulder and guardrails and repair embankments between Rockport and Newhalen, according to the WSDOT release.
This story was originally published November 25, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
