Spirit Lake Highway to close for repair work

Castle Rock — State Highway 504, also called the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway, will close Monday for repairs, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Crews will close the road at Coldwater Lake.

Most years, the road is closed for winter weather, which can bring avalanches and falling rocks.

The agency said the early closure will allow the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to start repairs to the Spirit Lake drainage tunnel that passes under the highway.

The tunnel is the lake’s only outlet, according to WSDOT, and therefore plays a key role in regulating the lake’s water level.

“We close the highway every year because seasonal snow and ice cause dangerous conditions,” WSDOT Maintenance Superintendent Bob Kofstad said in a news release. “Closing the highway now gives crews more time to do the work before winter weather hits.”

Coldwater Lake will remain accessible as conditions allow, WSDOT said.