By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – Following an in-depth inspection, the Washington State Department of Transportation has reopened the US 101 Elwha River Bridge to all travelers Wednesday morning.
WSDOT crews closed the bridge as a precaution Monday afternoon after the streamflow in the Elwha River exceeded 22,000 cubic feet per second, the threshold put in place to ensure the safety of travelers.
DOT officials say, while the bridge is safe to cross, crews will continue to monitor the situation.
WSDOT plans to replace the 90-year-old bridge in an upcoming project. Additional information, including how to receive WSDOT alerts about this bridge, is available at ElwhaRiverBridge.com.
Meanwhile, US 101 west of the Elwha River Bridge near Lake Crescent at milepost 220 to 231 remains closed due to slide activity and water over the roadway.
WSDOT crews remain on site working as quickly and safely as possible with partners from Olympic National Park, Washington State Patrol and Clallam County to clear debris. Crews and equipment from elsewhere in the region are helping with the response.
From the Sheriff’s Office we have this update on other roads in the region.
- SR 110 at 3 Rivers is now open.
- 101 at milepost 188 south of Forks is still closed due to a landslide that undermined the roadway, but there is a one lane detour for 4x4s along logging roads
- SR 113 at Beaver Lake is open
- SR 112 at mileposts 11, 16 and 32 is closed. This isolates Sekiu/Hoko/ Neah Bay further. SR 112 is effectively closed through Pysht. The service road for the prison is open to traffic between Sekiu and Clallam Bay. In summary, west end areas of Clallam County remain effectively isolated.