County line road work nearing start

The anticipated SR 4 project at the Cowlitz County line is scheduled to begin in late June.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded the contract and will have a pre-construction meeting next week, Devin Reck, Chief Inspector and Design Team Leader, said Tuesday. The contractor must start work by June 30, but closures may not start until after July 4 weekend.

Hi-Tech Rockfall Construction has been selected as the company to perform the work. The improvements will take place east of County Line Park to stabilize rocks above the highway. In order to prevent rocks from falling on to the ground, loose rock and debris will be removed and a cable fence will be installed to further stabilize the slope.

In the early phase of the work, the highway will be open for 15 minutes on the hour from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will then be open all night. At other times, motorists should expect up to 20 minute delays during daylight hours. Traffic will be reduced to a single lane as crews complete the project.

“Due to the sensitive nature of the work, (humans climbing on and scaling rocks), the contractor crews can only do some of the work required in dry conditions, so to a large extent the exact date depends on the weather we will have,” Reck said.