Still no timeline for Blue Slough Road repair

County engineers monitoring split roadway’s movement, will re-evaluate after first of the year

December 30, 2017 1:30 am
DAN HAMMOCK | THE DAILY WORLD The county is still monitoring the movement of Blue Slough Road and has yet to set a timeline for repair. This photo was taken Nov. 28, less than a week after the road was closed.
DAN HAMMOCK | THE DAILY WORLD The county is still monitoring the movement of Blue Slough Road and has yet to set a timeline for repair. This photo was taken Nov. 28, less than a week after the road was closed.

Don’t plan on taking Blue Slough Road anytime soon.

“Right now we are monitoring the movement and waiting to see if it stabilizes,” said Rob Wilson, Grays Harbor County engineer. The roadway will be evaluated after the first of the year. There is still no timeline to repair the problems caused by heavy rains in November.

The road runs between Cosmopolis and Highway 107. When there are problems with Highway 12 east of Aberdeen, it’s a primary alternative for getting to and from Aberdeen.

This particular section of Blue Slough Road about a mile west of its junction with State Route 107 is prone to washouts. The road was closed initially Nov. 18. Crews were able to patch the road with asphalt and the road reopened Nov. 20. Two days later the ground under the road was pounded by heavy rains, causing the roadway to split all the way across both lanes. The east side of the crack, at that time, was a foot or more higher than the roadway to the west. The road has been closed to all traffic between Cosmopolis and State Route 107 near Melbourne ever since.