Excelent job - from the WA State DOT:
New section of SR 542 near Glacier Springs now open
Drivers no longer have to wait for a traffic signal to guide them through a small stretch of State Route 542 four miles east of Maple Falls. Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation have opened a new 1,000-foot section of highway, restoring SR 542 to two lanes.
On Feb. 8, WSDOT reduced SR 542 to one lane near the Glacier Springs community because the Nooksack River was eroding the bluff below the roadway.
Ram Construction of Bellingham completed paving the project late Wednesday afternoon, March 18, under an emergency contract. Crews started clearing a new path for the highway about 100 feet northeast of the old roadway on Feb. 19. They blasted and removed about 1,500 cubic yards of rock and debris, enough to fill 150 dump trucks, from the west end of the new section. Then the crews put down soil and gravel and paved two lanes and shoulders to restore two-way traffic.
“We’re happy we could complete this project so quickly – SR 542 is the only east-west road in this part of Whatcom County,” Project Engineer Chris Damitio said. “By moving the highway away from the Nooksack River, we expect there won’t be any more erosion problems.”
Contractor crews still have some minor work and clean-up to finish, so drivers should be prepared for occasional lane closures with traffic control for a couple of weeks.
Time to drive out there and get a coffee...
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