Rock slope scaling project on US 97A will bring highway closures

ENTIAT – Another rock slope scaling project to address an unstable slope along US 97A begins Monday, March 29. The work will require two weeks of daytime highway closures from milepost 213.63 to 213.76, about a mile south of Entiat. Strider Construction has been awarded this project with a bid of $309,912.

Similar to the rock scaling work completed last summer, contractor crews will remove loose, unstable rock from slopes adjacent to US 97A in an area where rock fall often reaches the highway. To complete the work, crews will close the road between 8:15 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays, with openings for 15 minutes on the top of every hour to allow traffic through the work zone. These extended closures allow the contractor to complete more work, shortening the project duration, and ensures the safety of travelers.

The closures will last two weeks, and work is scheduled to be complete by 5 p.m. Monday, April 12. April 13 and 14 there will be flagger controlled traffic with delays up to 10 minutes as the contractor wraps up the project. The highway will be open during non-working hours and on weekends.

Updates for the project will be shared on WSDOT’s travel alerts page, and on Twitter at @WSDOT_East.