Highway 503 paving will slow traffic flow

Recreationists planning to spend time around the south side of Mount St. Helens and Swift Reservoir this summer should prepare for some slow going on state Highway 503 as road crews work to improve the highway.

The Washington State Department of Transportation has launched a $5.3 million, 26-mile highway repaving project on Highway 503 and the Highway 503 Spur to access Fargher Lake, Amboy, Chelatchie, Yale, Cougar, and Ape Cave.

Granite Construction started work Friday. The contractor plans to grind down the damaged road surface and replace about 18 miles of Highway 503 between Northeast Rock Creek Road, south of Fargher Lake, and the Highway 503 Spur in Cougar. Close to 8 miles of the Spur between Cougar and Beaver Bay Park near the Skamania County line will be resurfaced with oil-coated rock to chip-seal the road.

“Harsh winter weather and more people using the highway have taken a toll on these stretches of roadway,” WSDOT project engineer Lori Figone said in a news release. “We appreciate travelers’ patience this summer, while crews work to repair cracks and potholes, providing new life to the roadway for years to come.”

Construction is scheduled to run daily between 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. with daytime lane closures on the highway from Northeast Rock Creek Road to Cougar. Delays could be up to 20 minutes.

Daytime and nighttime lane closures will be required for chip-seal work on Highway 503 and the Highway 503 Spur, from about 1.5 miles south of the spur through Cougar east to Beaver Bay Park. During the closures, traffic will go alternate through a single traffic lane with drivers following a pilot car.

However, there will not be any lane closures on the spur road on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays between Highway 503 and the Skamania County line.

Neither roadway will have lane closures from July 2 to July 6.

Construction is expected to be finished in October.