Frances Fedoriska, communications, 206-440-4690

Drainage installation complete at site of slide near Northeast Stillwater Hill Road

CARNATION – Two weeks into an extended closure of State Route 203, contractor crews reached a milestone on the critical repair project. On Saturday, Dec. 12 they finished installing four drainage systems under the roadway and an additional four in the hillside above. Arranging the drains in a fan-like shape helps push water out and away from the highway. This helps control the source of water that led to a February slide that caused the highway to sink several inches between Stillwater Hill Road and Northeast 88th Street.

What's next This week, contractor crews will be demolishing and removing the rubble of the old highway, compacting the road base and applying new asphalt on top. Progress can be tracked through pictures posted to the project's Flickr album.

Detour The around-the-clock signed detour routing travelers past this worksite since Dec. 1 remains in effect until mid-January. When the work is done, all lanes of SR 203 will reopen and WSDOT will spend the winter finalizing a permanent repair.