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The landslide occurred on April 2, 2017. The road has been closed since then and will be until further notice. Due to public safety and the location of the landslide, there will not be a temporary bypass or detour constructed at this time. The slide is not very active at this time but there is still some material sloughing off on occasion due to the nature of the slide and the type of soils that are out there.
Lincoln County has given the contractor, Condon-Johnson & Associates, Inc. (CJA) the notice to proceed. The contract time will begin on June 4, 2018. They will have 105 working days to complete the project. 105 working days will be at the end of October.
The Porcupine Bay Road will be closed to all traffic during the construction of this repair process.
For those of you that want to see the construction and what is going on, do so from a distance. Please do not go into the construction area due to safety reasons. It will be clearly marked. We will be updating this page with photos throughout the project. So check back frequently!
6/7/2018- Work has begun!
6/11/18
Video shot by Lincoln County Commissioner Rob Coffman.
6/21/18
6/28/18
7/19/18- Uphill side soldier pile wall is coming together…
7/25/18
8/7/18- Work has begun on the East side (downhill) soldier pile wall!
8/8/18- New drone video!
8/16/18
8/28-30/18
9/12-14/18
9/18-9/22
Wood Lagging is being installed on the East wall and permanent anchors also. Preparation on the West wall for shotcrete is happening. Prefabricated drainage mats are being installed over the wood lagging. Ready for shotcrete.
Shotcrete, also called (trademark) Gunite, concrete applied by spraying. Shotcrete is a mixture of aggregate and portland cement, conveyed by compressed air to the nozzle of a spray gun, where water is added. The wet mixture is then sprayed in place and may be carved or troweled almost immediately. For structural uses, shotcrete is usually applied over a framework of reinforcing bars and steel mesh. Because it can take any shape, is easily colored, and can be sculptured after application, shotcrete is used for a variety of fancy concrete structures, including artificial rock walls, zoo enclosures, canopy roofs, refractory linings, pools, and dams. It is sometimes used in tunneling to bind the walls of the tunnel to prevent leaks and fragmentation.
10/3/18
At about 11:45 a.m. on October 3, 2018, another slide took place inside the limits of the previous slide area. A significant amount of material ended up in Lake Roosevelt. Our geotechnical engineer is assessing the site for safety, damage to the constructed walls and stability of the existing slope. There were 3 pieces of equipment that were in jeopardy of the slide. They were moved to safety on October 4th. Work is continuing on the west wall. Progress on the east wall will take place after safety issues have been addressed.
10/8-10/9
Work continues on the West wall with sculpted shotcrete facing being applied. The next step will be to stain the wall to match the natural surroundings. We can’t wait to see the finished product!
10/17-10/19
Sculpted shotcrete facing is getting stained to match its natural surroundings. Behind this cool looking wall is an amazing amount of hidden necessities.
10/23
Since the new slide that occurred on October 3, 2018, work has been halted on the east soldier pile retaining wall (downhill side) due to slope stability and worker safety concerns. Due to the possibility of differing site conditions, there is an ongoing engineering investigation to determine if additional work may be needed to stabilize the existing slope and/or east soldier pile retaining wall.
Work continues on the west soldier pile retaining wall. The shotcrete fascia will be completed this week. At that time the project will be suspended until the contractor (Condon-Johnson & Associates) and/or our geotechnical firm (Budinger & Associates) formulate a solution to allow the project to proceed. The solution may be additional structural components to the existing structure or stabilizing the existing slope, either way, the project is suspended for now to allow proper planning and design to address the differing site conditions.
11/12
After a month-long Engineers investigation, due to slope stability, the contractor is back to work. They are installing ground anchors on the east wall. Anchors in Row B have been completed and they have started on Row C.
11/16-11/29- Work continues and the progress is looking good!
12/10- Commissioner Coffman did a new video!
12/13- Only 13 anchors remain to be done on Row C and then work will begin on Row D.
12/21
1/21/19- Row D is under way.
1/29/19- All permanent ground anchors have been installed as of January 15th. The contractor (Condon-Johnson & Associates, Inc.) is now preparing the east wall for the shotcrete fascia and the concrete gutter. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the fascia and gutter should be completed by the end of February.
2/11- New video, Thank you Commissioner Coffman!
3/7
Due to inclement weather the project has been in suspension since 2/13/19. Starting on 3/11/19 the construction of the East wall shotcrete will resume and hopefully more favorable weather will allow the completion of the wall.
3/21
Work is progressing nicely at the project. The plan is to have everything prepped and ready to begin asphalting, striping, and signage in April. We are planning for a tentative May opening date.
4/3/19
Structural shotcrete is complete and the artwork is being done. Landscaping is currently being installed. Paving should be started by the end of this month. We are looking forward to seeing the final result.
4/24
Time lapse….
4/30
Prepped and ready Asphalting begins It looks so good!
5/6/2019
Construction has been completed and Porcupine Bay Road is NOW OPEN!
We would like to thank the public for your patience while we have gone through this process. We are very excited to have the road completed. Please go to the National Park Service Website for information on when the park and boat launch will be open. Below is a statement from the NPS from the ribbon cutting event.
“Staff at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area are working to have the Porcupine Bay boat launch open by Memorial Day weekend. Due to additional work required on the water system, the Porcupine Bay campground and day use area will remain closed until they can be safely opened for visitor use and enjoyment.” Dan A. Foster, Superintendent, Lake Roosevelt National Recreational Area
11/16/2020
Good Morning Rick.
Great News. Porcupine Bay Road Landslide WON Best County Project. Congratulations. As you know the competition for these coveted FHWA/WSDOT Project Excellence Awards is fierce with only one Best County Project Award given statewide each year.
We are thrilled for you and your entire team at Lincoln County for a job very well done. Very happy for my office as well, as this is prized recognition for the great work my staff has done in assisting your team through the rigors of the federal delivery process.
Lincoln County also now has the distinction of being the first-ever agency to win one of these Excellence Awards for an Emergency Relief funded project.
From the Selection Committee: “The Project was selected as this year’s best county project in large part on how the county, community, and other stakeholders came together in a time of need. This unplanned project was recognized as a priority and the county quickly and efficiently responded to this emergency by restoring this important transportation link.”
Presentation to the County:
For each selected project a canvas poster with before and after photographs and a Washington plaque is presented to each of the above agencies. A canvas poster is also provided to the Local Program’s Region office.
For the actual presentation, we are planning to hold a virtual presentation. Acting Director of Local Programs, Kyle McKeon, looks forward to presenting the awards in the near future, joined by members of your team and mine.
The official project name – Porcupine Bay Road Landslide – will be used on the award posters and plaque. This is the title that will be used throughout the process.
I enjoyed our collaboration in putting the nomination package together. Congratulations again on winning this year’s Best County Project Excellence Award.
Best Regards,
Keith Martin, P.E.
Eastern Region Local Programs Engineer
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=366883954584225
We have attached some of the plans and installation guides for you below.
Porcupine Bay Project Soldier Pile Shaft- Tieback-Permanent Ground Anchor Installation
Questions and concerns can be directed to Rick Becker at 509-725-7041.