Drivers in Woodland should expect delays next week as chip sealing in the area began on Monday, Aug. 5. The process will continue throughout the week with flaggers present. One-lane closures may cause potential delays of up to 20 minutes between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Scheduled roads include South Pekin Road, Roberson Road, Wallace Road, Kuhnis Road, Dike Road between Whalen and Kuhnis roads, Whalen Road, Caples Road, Dike Road north of Caples Road, Guild Road, Robinson Road, South Burke Road and Dike Access Road. Extreme weather may lead to schedule changes, with any incomplete roads set to be finished the following week.
Additionally, a county pavement overlay project is temporarily suspended due to increased traffic on Green Mountain Road attempting to bypass work zones. Pavement overlay projects on Green Mountain Road, Shirley Gordon Road and Little Kalama River Road will be completed after the Washington state Department of Transportation (WSDOT) completes its repair work on the Interstate 5 North Fork Lewis River Bridge.
In addition, WSDOT advises people traveling southbound on I-5 through the area to follow the readerboards and not take a bypass route suggested by some navigation apps. According to a news release WSDOT issued last week, Google Maps and Waze were routing travelers over Green Mountain Road, but that route is recommended for local traffic and deliveries only. Green Mountain Road is steep, with many tight turns, and several vehicles with trailers have become stuck on this route, leading to further traffic delays. The release stated the bypass route is not faster than staying on I-5, and travelers taking the bypass route have created severe traffic congestion for area residents.
To address the traffic impacts of this WSDOT project, the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office is staffing extra deputies in the Exit 27 / Todd Road area of Kalama and is staffing additional deputies to remain in the east Woodland area for faster responses to calls for service.
According to Cowlitz County Public Works, other road updates include:
• A culvert replacement project at milepost 2.04 on Kalama River Road starts Aug. 5, with expected delays of up to 20 minutes and flaggers on site.
• A retaining wall/slide repair project on Hazel Dell Road, north of Trout Lakes Road, begins Aug. 12 with a one-lane closure and temporary traffic signal through October.
• The ongoing Eric Creek culvert project at Abernathy Creek Road is expected to be completed by the end of October.
• Pavement paint striping for county roads should begin Aug. 19, with additional details to follow.
For more information, contact the Department of Public
Works at (360) 577-3030, or visit co.cowlitz.wa.us/publicworks or the Cowlitz County Department of Public Works Facebook page. For more information on the Interstate 5 North Fork Lewis River Bridge project, visit https://wsdot.wa.gov/construction-planning/search-projects/i-5-nb-sb-north-fork-lewis-river-bridge-bridge-deck-repair-overlay.
