Exciting progress was made last week, when Granite was able to reach the west side of the slide. The excavation of the rocky "knob" on the east side of the slide generated material that was used to construct a rough access route on the slope below to get tracked equipment across the slide. Last Tuesday, an excavator successfully made it up onto the road on the west side!
They have also begun preparing the third staging area at Mile 45.1. This week, they will haul material to the Mile 44 and Mile 45.1 staging areas and continue work on the east bridge abutment area, which involves excavating, shaping, and stabilizing the north slope above the road.
Blasting is no longer needed to accomplish this task, so there is no expanded closure area planned at this time. However, the current road closure west of the East Fork Bridge remains in place and will remain in place for the duration of the construction project, and an additional blasting closure may still be needed in September. In the meantime, backcountry hikers can continue to access the gravel bar detour route around the slide. Avoid approaching the base of the slope while detouring, as there is danger of rockfall from construction activities above.
The excavator approaches the west side of the slide.
Photo courtesy of FHWA