State Route 7 reopens 2 weeks after rock slides closed it, but the going won’t be easy
After a two-week closure, a six-mile stretch of State Route 7 north of Alder is open to traffic again.
The road opened at 10 a.m. Tuesday when Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews finished temporary repairs. Torrential rains sent rocks onto the road on Dec. 20, closing it.
Traffic is reduced to one lane on a nearly 600-foot-long section. Vehicles are alternating travel through the 25 mph zone.
Geotechnical engineers determined hillsides were still moving. Crews placed barriers in several locations to help keep debris off the road, WSDOT said.
The agency will monitor the hillsides as they develop a plan for permanent repairs.
Craig Sailor
The News Tribune