AFTER: The site of the March 13, 2017 debris slide on Route 503 following completion of its stabilization earlier this year.
Travelers who use State Route 503 and the SR 503 Spur through Cougar should plan for delays through the end of August as road improvement work continues.
Beginning at 6:30 a.m., Monday, Aug. 20, Washington State Department of Transportation’s contractor, Granite Construction Co., will continue preservation work to repair damaged portions of the highway between Northeast Rock Creek Road and Williams Road. The roadway will then be resurfaced with a new layer of asphalt to protect the road with a watertight bond.
“Because of wear and tear and weather, the road isn’t in great shape – there’s a fair amount of rutting, deterioration and cracking,” WSDOT project engineer Susan Fell said. “This work will extend the life of the highway and reduce the need for costly maintenance and emergency repairs.”
To resurface the road the contractor will use a chip-sealing treatment made of asphalt and crushed rock. To prevent vehicles from kicking up loose rock, flaggers will alternate single lanes of traffic in either direction, and travelers will follow a pilot car. Travelers should expect delays of up to 20 minutes and a reduced speed limit through the work zone. Motorcyclists should use extreme caution due to loose gravel on the roadway.
Once resurfacing has cured, crews will stripe and add pavement reflectors set into the surface of the roadway. That type of reflector holds up to winter weather and snow plowing better than ones installed on top of the pavement.
The work is scheduled through 7 a.m. Aug. 23, according to WSDOT
The work is part of a $5.3 million project to preserve the highway between Clark and Cowlitz Counties. This work is expected to be completed this fall. All work is weather dependent.
— WSDOT
