State Route 109 closes again after rocks fall onto roadway early Sunday morning

Just hours after reopening Saturday evening, State Route 109 just west of Hoquiam was closed again early Sunday morning as more debris from the hillside that slid and closed the road Jan. 17 fell into the roadway.

“Our engineering geologists are onsite (Monday) morning and will evaluate the new rocks and debris that fell onto the roadway,” said state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Tina Werner. “We don’t know the extent of the damage, but are using daylight to get a better visual of the slope and possible cracks near the surface.”

The large slide Jan. 17 closed the highway. Brumfield Construction worked to clear the 300-foot-wide, 90-foot-deep slide, removing more than 30,000 tons of woody debris and soil from the site. It reopened Saturday evening, but early Sunday morning small rocks and debris fell from the hillside onto the roadway, prompting the current closure.

“With additional rain in the forecast, that could effect our timeline or future slide activity,” said Werner.

Meanwhile, the same detour route is back in place, using Powell Road, Ocean Beach Road, Highway 101 and the State Route 109 Spur. Northbound State Route 109 is closed at State Route 109 Spur. Local access is available on northbound State Route 109 from the spur to Grays Harbor Boulevard. Southbound State Route 109 is closed at Powell Road. Local access on southbound State Route 109 is available up to Grays Harbor City Court.