SR-971 Fully Reopened After Emergency Rockslide Work
After being closed for 58 days due to rockslides, State Route 971 has now fully reopened.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (DOT) closed a two-and-a-half-mile stretch of the highway on South Lakeshore Road on March 3, after two slides covered the roadway in large rocks and debris, and exposed several overhead boulders on the adjacent slopes.
Emergency contractors worked six days a week to expedite the project, which saw the removal of the overhanging rocks, as well as the installation of stabilization anchors at 46 locations on two different slopes along the highway.
DOT crews also cleared over 1,400 cubic yards of rock and debris from the road surface and made other necessary repairs.
Officials with the DOT say while the slopes have been stabilized, falling rock is still possible in the same area, and motorists encountering rocks on the road anywhere should always remain in their vehicles and call 9-1-1 to report it.
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