Governor Gregoire to issue emergency proclamation to expedite SR 206 repairs near Spokane

For Immediate Release: May 20, 2008

SPOKANE � Gov. Chris Gregoire today announced she will issue an emergency proclamation in Spokane County due to the washout of state Route (SR) 206 near the entrance to Mount Spokane State Park northeast of Spokane.

The governor announced the emergency proclamation in Spokane, where she was joined by state Sens. Brown, D-Spokane, and Marr, D-Spokane, Spokane County Commissioner Bonnie Mager, and local emergency management officials.

Water cascading through small creek tributaries washed out a section of the highway late Sunday. Rain showers added to the heavy snowmelt flow, destroying nearly 1,000 feet of highway.

SR 206 is closed from just below the park gates with no access to the summit. Residents living above the closure are unable to cross the damaged area. There are no available detour routes.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has implemented emergency contracting procedures and streamlined contracting processes to perform the highway repair work quickly. The governor is expected to sign the proclamation of emergency Wednesday, which will allow WSDOT to seek federal emergency relief funds for the repair work.

�With some residents living in this area now completely cut off from their jobs and schools, it is imperative that emergency repairs get done quickly,� Gregoire said. �Our WSDOT maintenance personnel worked quickly to keep drivers safe by closing the highway, then engineers analyzed the problem and had a contractor hired in less than 24 hours.�

�Thankfully, this is nothing like the magnitude of the floods we saw on the western side of the state last December, but people are still out of their homes,� said Brown. �A good, quick response is necessary, and that�s exactly what the governor has called for. I applaud and thank her for it, and I know that those affected by the washout�and their families�do as well.�

�This is a huge relief for those residents who were literally cut off from the outside by the closure of SR 206,� said Marr. �It clears the way for a quick repair by WSDOT and a return to normal for those affected."

Today, WSDOT crews estimated repair costs at more than $1 million. A contractor is on site and is working to make the highway passable to limited traffic as soon as possible. WSDOT said it may take two to three days of work to make the highway passable to single-lane traffic to provide access for the residents and state park personnel.

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