SR-500 repair work is underway

An 11-mile portion of state Route 500 between Vancouver and Camas is getting some repairs during the next several weeks.

Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation are repairing damaged portions of the highway and will then apply a new layer of asphalt to protect the road with a watertight bond.

Work is being conducted between Pioneer Elementary School and Southeast Leadbetter Road.

“The road isn’t in great shape – there’s a fair amount of rutting, deterioration and cracking,” said Jonathan Abuyan, WSDOT assistant project engineer. “This work will extend the life of the highway and reduce the need for costly maintenance and emergency repairs.”

To resurface the road, WSDOT contractor Doolittle Construction will use a chip-sealing treatment made of asphalt and crushed rock.

During construction, drivers should anticipate delays of up to 20 minutes while flaggers alternate both directions of traffic on a single lane of SR-500, between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The work is part of the $1.2 million SR-500 – Northeast 162nd Avenue to Southeast Third Avenue project to preserve the highway in east Clark County.

This work is weather dependent, and expected to be complete by early August.

SR-14 repairs start today

Meanwhile, a smoother ride is also in store for drivers on State Route 14 in the Columbia River Gorge.

Beginning today, WSDOT contractor Granite Construction will repair sections of SR-14 through the communities of Stevenson, White Salmon and Bingen.

“There are portions of the road in unacceptable condition, marked with fresh potholes and loose rocks,” said Abuyan. “We appreciate the patience from the public while we work to make this right.”

Last summer, crews resurfaced these areas using a liquid-asphalt mixture and crushed gravel to fill in cracks and create a watertight bond to protect the highway.

Over the winter, WSDOT observed that portions were not holding up well, resulting in loose rocks on the roadway.

Additional complications arose in June, following a detour of Interstate 84. Due to hot weather and heavy truck traffic, the oil in the road reactivated and became pliable. As a result, several sections came loose and created new potholes.

Today, crews will alternate traffic through a single lane west of White Salmon near the State Route 141 spur from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

On Wednesday and Thursday, crews will detour traffic on Second Street (SR-14) between First Street and Northeast Frank Johns Road through Stevenson, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Vehicles parked along Second Street after 6 p.m. each night will be removed.

More nighttime paving and striping work will be scheduled near Bingen in mid-July. The work adds $1.4 million to the $5.2 million SR-14 – Sixth Street to Bingen project.