At the beginning of August, we toured four road sites across Cowlitz and Clark Counties highlighting the needs, challenges and successes of county roads in Washington, with an emphasis on recent local road legislation, MVFT funding for preservation and maintenance, safety, and fish passage barrier removals.
The three hour tour allowed policymakers to engage with local engineers from Cowlitz and Clark Counties to learn more about the project sites and the role of county road administration. The tour kicked off at the beautiful Tam O’Shanter Park in Kelso where we loaded the bus and headed toward our first stop.
South Cloverdale Road
As one of two collectors connecting the area to I-5, the road serves a fire station, county road shop, and as an alternate route between Woodland and Kalama, WA. South Cloverdale Road has a history of multiple collisions due to its narrow and winding geometry, substandard shoulders, poor sight distance and obstacles in the roadway clear zone.
To address the safety challenges, Cowlitz County is starting construction on a 3R project coupled with federal dollars. It is a major county project and is in the very early stages. Work includes roadway widening to meet current design standards and reconstruction of deficient horizontal and vertical curves. Obstacles will be removed from the roadway clear zone and utility poles will be relocated to four feet behind ditches. Additional safety upgrades include guardrail installation and slope flattening. Finally, two culverts will be upgraded to meet current fish passage requirements.
Lane Road
From Cloverdale Road, we headed to Lane Road, a perfect example of the 48,917 miles of local roads in Washington that could be eligible for dollars once CRAB’s new local road program is stood up.
This 1.2 mile winding local road serves as the only I-5 detour point when I-5 is shut down (which happens more than you may think). In no way is this road made for major vehicle and freight traffic with its steep slopes, sharp curves, little to no shoulders, and driveways throughout, yet GPS re-routes I-5 drivers to this road frequently.
The county struggles to keep up with its maintenance, relying solely on its local capital program to make the investments needed to keep the road safe and drivable. But as so many are aware, putting band-aids on problems only last so long. CRAB is grateful we will be able to offer counties like Cowlitz another tool in their toolbox when it comes to addressing priorities like Lane Road.
Pacific Highway Culvert
From Lane Road, we headed over the winding Green Mountain Road and into Clark County to a major culvert project on Pacific Highway. NW Pacific Highway is a major collector road serving local residents along a 5 mile route and also serves as a freight alternate route for I-5.
In 2019, Pacific Highway at Wellman Road experienced a major washout of a culvert during a heavy rainstorm. The Clark County Public Works Department quickly pulled together contract designers, contractors, and funding from CRAB's Rural Arterial Program to stabilize the bank and rebuild the road in a remarkable 44 days. The 30' culvert was replaced with a 13' corrugated metal pipe suitable for fish passage as required by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. The project went on to win the 2020 APWA Project of the Year Award.
Dike Road
Our final stop brought us back to Cowlitz County to Dike Road along the Columbia River. Dike Road is a multi-purpose road that carries significantly more traffic than it can handle and is in need of major repair. It serves agricultural, recreational, residential and industrial needs in addition to being an alternate route for local traffic during congestion. Heavy trucks are frequent.
The 2R project includes grinding, providing a 12" cement-treated base with 5" of hot mix asphalt. The lanes will be widened to 12' with 1' gravel shoulders.
While the physical project is simple, the "paper" project is complicated and delayed due to the additional permitting needs of the Corps of Engineers, as it is located on a dike owned by a local diking district.
By the end of the tour it was warming up, our bellies were grumbling, and no one was willing to brave using the tiny bus bathroom – it was time to head back to our starting point. We loaded on the bus and reflected on the diverse and unique projects we were able to view in just under three hours. And that is the case with county road operations: the work is vast, complicated, expensive, and diverse. The County Road Administration Board is proud of the contributions we are able to make on an annual basis and greatly appreciate the dedication our public works officials have in keeping our communities safe, moving, and efficient.
A huge thank you to everyone who was able to attend the tour, and an even bigger thank you to the staff of CRAB and Cowlitz and Clark counties who were able to make this day possible.
Pictured below: CRAB Chair Lindsey Pollock, Vice Chair Art Swannack, Second Vice Chair Doug McCormick, PE; Board Members Peter Browning, Carolina Mejia, Grant Morgan, PE, Zach Trudell; Executive Director Jane Wall; Deputy Director Drew Woods, PE; Executive Assistant Jason Bergquist; Communications Director Jacque Netzer; Grant Programs Manager Steve Johnson, PE; Support Training and Compliance Manager Derek Pohle, PE, IT Security Engineer Scott Campbell; House Transportation Chair Jake Fey, Representative John Ley, Cowlitz County Engineer Susan Eugenis, PE, Clark County Engineer Jeremy Provenzola, PE, Clark County Public Works Director Ken Lader, PE, and WSACE Managing Director Axel Swanson.
Jane Wall
Executive Director