Work near Darrington seeks to keep Highway 530 open

Published 11:09 pm Wednesday, September 12, 2007

DARRINGTON — Two powerful rivers threaten to wash out Highway 530 north of Darrington this fall, and the state Transportation Department is spending $1.9 million to try to protect it.

State highway engineers fear the two-lane highway might collapse under the erosive power of the Sauk and Suiattle rivers, which join nearby.

The rivers already have eaten away 30 feet of riverbank near the highway since last year, and more erosion is expected when the fall flood season arrives unless the river bank is bulked up, Transportation Department spokesman Dustin Terpening said.

Construction crews will be paid to install more than 100 evergreen trees and 15,000 tons of boulders along the river bank. The trees and boulders will be clumped in 12 piles along a quarter-mile of the highway.

It’s imperative the work be done now, state highway engineer Sam Chi said.

“This design will help shield the highway from the river,” Chi said. “Ultimately, it should save the road.”

Construction will require closing one of the highway’s two lanes. Flaggers will alternate traffic on the remaining lane. The road carries about 1,000 cars a day and is used by buses, timber trucks and tourists.

Work is expected to begin by the end of the month and be completed in early November.

Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.