Pioneer Street in Ridgefield opens one lane after landslide

Pioneer Street leading into Ridgefield was closed for most of Thursday due to a landslide.

At about 10 a.m. Thursday, a landslide caused trees to fall onto Pioneer Street between North Reiman and North Smythe roads, said Tim Dawdy, Clark County Fire & Rescue spokesman. The trees were removed from Pioneer Street, but traffic remained closed because the road was weakened, he said.

One lane of traffic reopened at about 2:15 p.m., the city of Ridgefield announced on its Facebook page.

Flaggers will direct traffic through the area for about 24 hours, until portable traffic signals can be set up, Dawdy said.

“We want to advise drivers to be extra cautious in the area and be patient,” he said. “Be courteous.”

Pioneer Street will be limited to one lane until Washington State Department of Transportation geotechnical engineers are able to assess the long-term stability of the hillside and determine the next steps, agency spokesman Bart Treece said.

That stretch of Pioneer Street — which some refer to as the “S curve” into Ridgefield — has been impacted by landslides in the past, Dawdy said.

Clark Public Utilities, WSDOT, Ridgefield police and the fire district responded to Thursday’s landslide.