County Briefs

State Route 302 near Victor reopens

The state Department of Transportation has reopened state Route 302 east of Victor after it was closed March 1.

According to a news release, heavy rainfall triggered roadway settlement and sloughing. An 80-foot section of highway settled more than 6 inches.

WSDOT crews ground off and replaced damaged asphalt, according to WSDOT spokesman Doug Adamson and shown in the picture above.

“SR 302 passes over a slow-moving landslide that is occasionally retriggered by rain,” Adamson said in an email to the Journal. “It’s been a chronic issue for years. Maintenance teams regularly patrol the area and make repairs when needed. During this most recent instance, crews needed to wait for the roadway to stop settling and dry weather before they could make repairs.”

Adamson said WSDOT is confident to reopen the highway to travelers. He said while maintenance teams regularly check Route 302, it is important for travelers to keep a sharp eye on the road whenever they’re behind the wheel and watch for changing weather conditions.

Olympic National Forest focuses on integration

Olympic National Forest has announced an invigorated effort to more fully integrate itself into Olympic Peninsula communities.

According to a news release, efforts are focused on being more adaptable and responsive to communities. Efforts include delivering predictable timber harvests through landscape restoration, work to co-manage lands with indigenous nations and people, manage recreation on the Olympic Peninsula across boundaries, provide resilient infrastructure, improve watershed health to support aquatic habitats and clean water, and increase community engagement.

“Some of these efforts are ongoing while other investments will be made over time,” Forest Supervisor Kelly Lawrence said in a news release. “By working with tribes and partners we’ve learned new ways to accomplish impactful work and are excited to continue fostering economic development, world class recreation and restoration across the peninsula.”

The announcement is part of a large-scale approach by the U.S. Forest Service to share its stewardship efforts.

To learn more about the announcement, go to http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/olympic/home.