Randolph Construction Services

Randolph Project: Salmon La Sac Road Repair

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• Project Name: Salmon La Sac Road Repair
• Location: Wenatchee National Forest - Kittitas County, Washington
• 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 was damaged by the Cle Elum River adjacent to the roadway. 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 Wenatchee National Forest.

Randolph 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.

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 certified 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. Approximately 2,000 cubic yards of large riprap aggregate was placed beside the roadway and in the river to protect the river bank. This was accomplished by excavating 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 acceptable levels were maintained.

The next phase of construction consisted of roadway excavation, grading, paving, traffic markings and signage, as well as 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 according to the plans, followed by three inches hot mix asphalt. A new guardrail system above the riprap was installed along with permanent traffic control markings and signs. A certified weed-free hydroseed mix was applied to all disturbed areas and all temporary traffic and erosion control devices were removed.

Project Snapshots