The second phase of repair work to stabilize a landslide near the State Route 169 bridge over the Green River began today when contractor Tri-State Construction shut down one lane of the bridge as early as 6 a.m. to begin moving equipment onto the site.

• Both lanes of the bridge will remain open throughout most of the work.

• Contractors working for WSDOT might briefly stop traffic in both directions.

• There also might be a few other occasions when the bridge will be reduced to one lane. Flaggers will direct traffic.

• Contractors plan to work seven days a week, but during daylight hours only at this time.

• If the workers require a 24-hour shut down of the bridge, advance notice will be given.

THE REPAIR WORK

To stabilize the slope, crews will drill horizontal holes up to 300 feet into the hillside approximately 30 feet below the surface of the land at the south end of the bridge. A series of pipes will then be installed in three different locations.

“These pipes will help drain the excess water that saturates the land surrounding the bridge,” said WSDOT Project Engineer Mike Askarian. “We need to get rid of that water in order to reduce the risk of slide activity, protect the roadway and ultimately, the bridge itself.”

Installation of the drainage pipes is the final step in stabilizing the landslide. After the pipes are installed, the water that drains from the area will be discharged into the Green River. Because it’s clean groundwater, there is no environmental impact to the river.

This repair should be complete by early December.

LANDSLIDE, INITIAL REPAIR WORK

WSDOT began monitoring the landslide earlier this year. Over the summer, the slide accelerated. In July, WSDOT installed more than 30 specialized soil-nails and applied a spray-on concrete in an emergency repair. Later, we added more soil nails and spray-on concrete in preparation for the installation of the drainage pipes.

The soil-nail and drainage pipe solution will cost approximately $2 million. WSDOT has received federal money to pay for the repair.

Drivers can find more information and updates on this project at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr169/greenriverrepair/

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