Following a geotechnical evaluation Friday, February 14, 2020, King County determined that 356th Drive SE in Fall City can reopen and remain open unless conditions change.
According to a county update, the road will remain restricted to vehicles that weigh less than 5 tons. Large commercial vehicles and trucks that weigh more than 5 tons cannot use the road. The roadway is still restricted to one lane in the area of the slide area.
The county said there is still a slide risk under the road. It began moving and cracking due to heavy rain – and was restricted to one alternating lane on February 6th.
Crews sealed roadway cracks on Saturday afternoon, February 15th, in an effort to help prevent rain water from entering the cracks in the road and reaching the compromised land underneath.
King County is monitoring the road’s conditions on a 24/7 basis and said residents should be aware that the road could close at any time, a possibility that increases with heavy rains.
If the road does have to close, King County said it has secured an evacuation route for the neighborhoods above the slide area – and officials are also working to assure that route can provide access to and from the neighborhoods during a potential closure.
The county plans to conduct further testing of the ground underneath the road later this month which will help determine how to stabilize the ground on a long-term basis.
No date is set for when a long-term repair will take place.
