Steigerwald Reconnection: Roadwork Nearly Complete

Summer is certainly the season for roadwork and the Steigerwald Reconnection Project is no exception. Over the past three months, the Project has imposed significant changes to traffic along State Route 14 (SR 14), East of Washougal, WA. For most of the summer, barriers have reduced SR 14 to one lane with traffic lights alternating the direction of traffic through the Project area. Good news! All of this roadway construction is scheduled for completion in early October 2020.

The reason this roadwork was required was to elevate SR 14 to reduce the potential of flooding in the Project area. While the road was restricted to one lane of travel, crews worked behind the barriers to elevate the traffic-free lane of road. Once a target elevation was achieved, the lane of traffic was switched. This allowed crews to work safely behind the barriers to lift the other lane of traffic. Using this stair-step approach, approximately a quarter mile of SR 14 was elevated up to 4 feet. The goal was to elevate the entire roadway in the Project area to the 500-year flood elevation.

For added protection to flooding, the Project includes a floodwall to protect the community that exceeds the 500-year flood elevation. Should a catastrophic flood event occur, SR 14 would be closed near Gibbons Creek and traffic would be detoured around the Project area along Evergreen Hwy. To complete the floodwall, large precast concrete panels would be installed as a ‘closure structure’ across SR 14 near Gibbons Creek. Included in this season’s roadwork were the foundations in SR 14 which are designed to hold the closure structure panels upright against the floodwater.

While traffic delays are understandably frustrating, the work accomplished during the past few months was a critical step forward for the Project. The elevated roadway and SR 14 closure structure are vital pieces in the Project’s design to restore the floodplain while maintaining flood protection to the surrounding community.