Project overview
Several sections of the slope on the north side of the roadway above SR 14, between milepost 73.16 and 73.92, had a history of rockfall, especially in fall and winter months. To reduce the risk of rockfall and mitigate slope stability, contractor crews from Strider Construction Co., Inc., worked to stabilize two slopes on the north side of the highway, including rock scaling loose rock, installing rock dowels into the slope face, and building a 20-foot wide by 4-foot deep rock fall catchment ditch alongside the highway.
What to expect
During rock scaling work, a full closure of SR 14 was needed, to keep both travelers and crews safe. Both lanes of the highway reopened once an hour to provide a minimum of 15 minutes to clear traffic.
Several sections along the scenic State Route 14 have a history of reoccurring rockfall activity above the roadway. To help reduce future potential rockfall activity and improve safety for travelers, in winter 2022, our contractor, Strider Construction Co., Inc., began work to stabilize the slope located on the north side of SR 14, between mileposts 73.16 and 73.92, just west of the Chamberlain Lake Rest Area, in Klickitat County.
Our WSDOT maintenance crews reported that most of the rockfall coming from these slopes occurred in the fall/winter months, during the freeze/thaw cycles, when heavy rainfall seeped into the hillside and the temperatures dropped to or below freezing. The most recent rockfall event occurred in Jan. 2021 and consisted of several cobblestone-sized rock blocks falling and landing in the westbound lane along the fog line. Several additional rockfalls occurred on these slopes since 2018.
This project helped to reduce rockfall and improve safety for the travelers along both directions of SR 14.
