The Columbian | Serving Clark County, Washington

Motorists will begin to encounter lengthy delays in the Columbia River Gorge beginning Wednesday.

Contractors will close the highway from 4 to 6 p.m. each weekday afternoon at Dog Mountain, through June 14. The closure is required as Hi-Tech Rockfall Construction Inc. workers drill into the rock face of the slope above the highway and blast away 22,000 cubic yards of rock.

The popular Dog Mountain trailhead parking lot and part of the trail also will be closed during blasting work.

“We know this is a huge inconvenience, especially for commuters and other daily drivers on SR 14,” said Chris Tams, area engineer for the Washington Department of Transportation. “Closing SR 14 allows us to finish work in one season rather than impacting traffic every summer, year after year.”

There are no detours around Dog Mountain, other than crossing to the Oregon side of the Columbia River to Interstate 84.

Increased frequency

Later in the year, the closures will become even more frequent. Between June 15 and Sept. 2, the highway will be closed at Dog Mountain in two-hour intervals beginning at 7 a.m. and ending at 6 p.m. seven days a week. A single lane will be opened during one-hour blocks.

Farther east, motorists will encounter another rockfall removal closure at White Salmon.

In that case, however, a local detour will be available for motorists willing to loop through the town of White Salmon using state Highway 141. In that area, state Highway 14 will be closed between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. seven days a week starting on Monday, March 15.

The $3.8 million rockfall abatement project is federally funded.

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