Two Lanes Now Open Through Washout Area on US 12 Near White Pass

Crews recommend drivers to follow speed advisory of 30 mph near washout area.

It’s been about a month since heavy rains washed away a section of US 12 east of White Pass, reducing the roadway to a single lane with alternating traffic. Crewsopened the roadway to two lanes Friday at noon.

DBM Construction, Inc. of Federal Way, was the emergency contractor that repaired the 500-foot washed out section. The contractor spent the last several weeks reinforcing the wall supporting the roadway with concrete and more than 40 steel bars each measuring 41 feet long. The contractor also repaired existing drainage structures.

For the winter, the Washington State department of Transportation recommends that drivers follow a speed advisory of 30 mph near the washout area at milepost 154. A slight shift in the lanes will direct traffic away from the slope, which is protected by a concrete barrier, and closer to the hillside. WSDOT and contractor crews will return in spring 2014 to finish work to stabilize the slope and complete drainage work.

Visit the WSDOT White Pass webpage here.