This informational meeting shared the schedule for repairing all the storm damage to these roads back in January 2009.

Below is the text of the letter sent to all the local residents on Nov. 13th 2009.

Dear Middle Fork-area resident,

Below is information from King County Road Services responding to questions posed by Middle Fork-area residents.

Road Services staff members will provide more information at the community meeting we will host on Wednesday, November 18, 6-8 p.m. at Twin Falls Middle School, 46910 SE Middle Fork Road.

More than $2 million has been spent on repairs for SE Middle Fork Road in the past year. An additional $1 million has been allocated for repairs that will be done in 2010.

Key topics/questions:

1.      Scheduled completion of repairs to the large slide at SE Middle Fork Road: spring 2010

2.      Projected opening date of SE Lake Dorothy Road: summer 2010

3.      Heavy truck traffic

4.      Emergency access and response

5.      Road restoration, snow plowing and other road maintenance.

1.      Scheduled completion of repairs to the large slide at SE Middle Fork Road: spring 2010 

Repair of the large slide at the western intersection of SE Middle Fork/SE Lake Dorothy roads is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2010. The job has been advertised and bids will be opened on November 19, 2009. The design work will be completed in January, and physical work on the site will begin in February.

Funding for this project will cover restoration of the road to its pre-slide condition only.

Although this large slide occurred in January 2009, the process to get it fixed was complicated and took longer than expected. The following summarizes some of the key complications:

Complexity. Repairs to the other slides on this road were simple rock fills. The slide at the western intersection is larger and access is difficult, so a simple rock fill would have been prohibitively expensive and would have had a heavy impact on adjoining property owners. For these reasons, an alternative solution had to be found. This required a site investigation (soil studies) and an engineering analysis that took several months to complete. The result, however, will be a cost-effective, permanent repair for this section of the road.

Funding. Given the potential high cost of the repair at this location (initial estimates were near $1 million), work on repairing the large slide could not move forward until funding was authorized. The funding agency, Western Federal Lands Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads (ERFO), and Road Services worked together to find a cost-effective solution. The result of this effort is a fully funded repair with a projected cost of $475,000.

Construction. Because this project will be advertised as “contractor design build,” the contractor will have an opportunity to propose a design for a permanent, cost-effective repair. Road Services has outlined an option that includes:

·    stabilizing the surrounding steepened slope with soil nails

·    building a 14-foot high retaining wall, bearing on soil-nail support

·    paving a 24-foot wide roadway

·    installing a concrete barrier.

During construction, drivers should expect road closures that could last 20 to 30 minutes. Flaggers will be stationed on the road to ensure safety and to coordinate traffic through the construction area.

Repair of other slides on the road. Road Services repaired 21 other slides on SE Middle Fork Road in the past year. They were repaired sooner than the large slide because Road Services’ highest priority is always to open roads that have been cut off by slides, flooding or other events. In this case multiple slides cut off residents, other private property owners, commercial operations and others who need access to the upper Middle Fork valley. Access to the upper valley was critical for the Forest Service and for Western Lands to start the process of repairing this portion of the road. In addition, the smaller slides were relatively simple to fix and funds were available to do the work.

2.      Projected opening date of SE Lake Dorothy Road: summer 2010 

Road Services is planning to reopen SE Lake Dorothy Road in the summer of 2010.

Two significant slides will be repaired, in addition to the large slide at the western intersection of SE Middle Fork/ SE Lake Dorothy roads.

Road Services has designed a solution that includes:

• installing a nine-foot high retaining wall
• backfilling the retaining wall with gravel
• replacing the ditch with underground storm drainage
• placing boulders along about 60 feet of the roadway.

Funding for this project will cover restoration of the road to its pre-slide condition only.

The cost of repairing these two slides is projected to be between $725,000 and $800,000.

Because this project will be advertised as “contractor design build,” the contractor will have an opportunity to propose a design of their own for the permanent cost-effective repair. The proposal would be fully reviewed an approved prior to allowing the alternative design to be used.

3.      Heavy truck traffic

Residents have expressed concerns about safety issues associated with heavy trucks and damage to SE Middle Fork Road.

The storm repairs to the upper portion of Middle Fork Road by Western Lands required heavy trucks to haul material for the repairs. That work is now complete; however, residents should know that future projects by the U.S. Forest Service and Western Lands will involve heavy trucks traveling on this road. Residents should also expect continued truck traffic to the nearby rock quarry, whose owners have a legal permit to haul up to 20 loads per day.

Until recently, a 15-ton “load limit” sign had been posted on the road for at least 20 years. The sign was recently removed because SE Middle Fork is a road open for all legal multiple uses that a public road provides. Road Services does not have documentation of the reason why the “load limit” sign was originally installed.

It is extremely rare for load limits to be posted on a road. In the entire unincorporated area of King County, the only road that has a posted load limit is one with a nationally recognized historical designation.

4.      Emergency access and response

Emergency vehicles are expected be able to use SE Middle Fork Road without difficulty in the upcoming winter months.

Recent geotechnical investigation of the large slide, years of observation, and the fact that the large slide did not move after the January 2009 storm all indicate that major slides are unlikely to occur on the roadway.

Road Services does preventive maintenance and places a very high priority on closely monitoring the two existing large slides. The slides are checked daily. During storm events these slides are checked frequently throughout the day and night. Crew members pay particular attention to the flow of surface water over the plastic sheeting and potentially over the roadway.

If residents detect significant changes, you are encouraged to call Road Services (206) 296-8100 any time of the day or night.

Road Services is prepared to respond if the large slides move. If needed, the county will dispatch its crews 24 hours a day to widen the roadway.

If a slide occurs that closes the roadway, Road Services would coordinate with Eastside Fire and Rescue. Within 24 hours the county would construct a temporary road on adjacent land, if needed. Arrangements have already been made with the nearby landowner for this contingency.

During the big storm in January 2009, Road Services staff responded quickly throughout the day and night, monitoring conditions and clearing the slide debris to make the roadway accessible.

5.      Road restoration, snow plowing and other road maintenance

Because of damage to SE Middle Fork Road in the past year, this road is being nominated for inclusion in the pool of county roads that need to be repaved. However, there is no guarantee that SE Middle Fork Road will be repaved in the near future. Timing depends on how this road compares to other roads in the paving program and whether the road can be repaved efficiently along with other roads as part of the same contract.

In the upcoming winter months, Road Services will remove snow on SE Middle Fork Road on the same basis as in previous years. Staff has recently assessed the road and determined that its snow removal equipment will continue to work reasonably well on the roadway.

Road Services stands ready to fix potholes, roadway edges, plugged ditches, and related problems as they arise.

As more information becomes available, it will be posted at www.kingcounty.gov/transportation/kcdot/Roads/Construction.aspx

For more information contact Sarah Luthens, Community Relations Planner, 206-684-1154, sarah.luthens@kingcounty.gov.