Randolph Construction Services

RCS Project: Salmon La Sac Road Repair

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• Project Name: Salmon La Sac Road Repair
• Location: Wenatchee National Forest - Kittitas County, WA
• Client: U.S. DOT Federal Highway Administration, Western Federal Lands Highway Division
• Contract Details: Unit Priced $447,747
• Work Performed: Emergency Road Repairs
• Duration: NTP 09/03/2009 through 10/15/2009

Description:

This emergency road repair project consisted of realigning, repairing and protecting approximately 1075 LF of Salmon La Sac Road-County Road 903 that had been damaged by the Cle Elum River adjacent to the roadway. The new roadway had to be protected by placing large riprap aggregate and shifting the roadway further from the river. Challenges specific to this project included the remote location, time of year, short time for completion, excavation in the Cle Elum River, and the sensitive environment of the National Forest.

Exceptional care and planning by RCS management was implemented as soon as the letter of award was received. The project's location in the Wenatchee National Forest at the base of the Cascade Mountain Range, along with only 42 calendar days to complete, made this project demanding in many ways. It was a race against time and weather to install hot mix asphalt and permanent traffic markings before temperatures dropped below the allowable limits. Heavy equipment and trucks had to be cleaned and free of excess dirt and grease and aggregate sources had to be inspected and certified weed-free in order to prevent the spread of noxious weeds and protect the National Forest's existing vegetation. A fire protection plan was implemented and equipment was mobilized as a precautionary measure to prevent forest fires.

Traffic control and certififed weed-free erosion control devices were installed prior to starting excavation activities. Once these preliminary tasks were completed, excavation for bank protection in the Cle Elum River began. Bank protection for the roadway consisted of placing approximately 2,000 cubic yards of large riprap aggregate beside the roadway and in the river. To accomplish this, RCS excavated a "toe" at the river's edge, four feet below the existing stream bottom. A temporary berm was constructed from the excavated stream bed material to limit turbidity in the river. Once the "toe" was excavated to the dimensions as designed, the slope to the roadway was cut at a 2 horizontal to 1 vertical grade. Slope stabilizing geotextile fabric was then placed from the roadside to the "toe" in the stream. A four foot thick layer of riprap bank protection was then uniformly placed by track mounted excavators. Finally, the stream bed berm was spread over the riprap "toe" to restore the stream bottom habitat. Turbidity monitoring downstream of the excavation was in place during all in-water activities to ensure that acceptable levels were maintained.

The next phase of construction consisted of roadway excavation, grading, paving, traffic markings and signage, plus guardrail system installation. The remains of the existing asphalt were demolished and removed along with unsuitable base rock material. The new road was built and graded per the plans, followed by three inches hot mix asphalt. A new guardrail system above the riprap was installed as well as permanent traffic control markings and signs. A certified weed free hydroseed mix was applied to all disturbed areas and all the temporary traffic and erosion control devices were removed.

RCS successfully completed this project ahead of schedule and without incident. Salmon La Sac Road is now open providing full access to popular camp grounds and recreational areas.

Project Snapshots