SR 706 near Ashford reopens after landslide debris cleaned up

Get ready for Paradise, people.

After more than a two-week closure, state Route 706 in Ashford reopened Monday morning.

The spate of recent good weather allowed crews to remove hundreds of dump truck loads of debris, repair the highway and install a new culvert to carry water underneath the road.

It was originally estimated that SR 706 may not open until mid-March.

Now, the main entrance to Mount Rainier National Park (Nisqually entrance) is accessible and residents don’t have to be escorted in and out of the area in caravans.

Workers still need to finish paving and striping so expect one-way alternating traffic during the area.

Massive slides forced the closure Feb. 3 near Kernahan Road East.

The contractor, Granite Construction, worked seven days a week to get the highway reopen.

They removed more than 2,250 cubic yards of mud, rocks and downed trees over the course of six days and built ditches alongside SR 706 to ensure water running off the hillsides above doesn’t flood the highway.

If you’re heading to Mount Rainier, the road is open to Longmire.

Paradise will remain closed Monday, the park announced.

This story was originally published February 24, 2020 at 9:08 AM.