Gales Creek Road to Close for Two Weeks

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Washington County's contractor, ­­­­­­­­­­­­Bones Construction, plans to close Gales Creek Road between Stringtown and David Hill roads from June 15 through June 30. Signs advising of the upcoming closure are posted.

Road work is always weather dependent, especially paving, so the schedule may change. We'll provide updates as the work progresses. For a current schedule, check the Washington County Roads web site at www.wc-roads.com.

The road closure is necessary to repair the road base which has been sliding toward the creek. Travelers on Gales Creek Road have expressed concern about the cracks in the road surface for some time. The county consulted with a geotechnical engineer about how best to repair the road and stabilize the slide area. The repair requires that the full width of about a 450-foot length of the road be excavated to a depth of about five feet below the current road surface. The road base will be built back up with layers of geo-textile and aggregate and topped with a new asphalt road surface. Guardrail will also be upgraded as part of this project.

Washington County has entered into a cooperative agreement with Forest Grove Fire and Rescue to help mitigate impact on emergency response time by stationing fire personnel at the Gales Creek Station. About 4,500 vehicles a day travel on Gales Creek Road at Thatcher Road southeast of the road work location, according to most recent (2008) traffic counts.

The county and Bones Construction want to make sure that traffic moves as smoothly as possible during this necessary but inconvenient road closure, so using the designated detour route of OR 6 (Wilson River Highway) and OR 47 (Nehalem River Highway) is encouraged. (See detour route map.)

Washington County thanks you for your patience and careful attention to driving.

Washington County is committed to building and maintaining the best transportation system, ensuring the safety of all roadway users, and to operating the county roadway system in a cost-effective and environmentally responsible manner.

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