Deschutes Parkway woes mount; closure might last months

Slide risk rises as recent rains fall

ELIZABETH LEIS, THE OLYMPIAN

OLYMPIA -- Although the earth may have stopped moving in most parts of Olympia, officials say the land around Deschutes Parkway is still sliding and dropping.

That means the heavily damaged Deschutes Parkway could be closed to traffic for a few months to a year.

The quake is long gone, but the risk for dangerous slides has increased as rain water seeps into unstable hillside cracks.

"I cannot emphasize enough that people need to stay away," said David Schilperoort, a state facilities senior planner in the Department of General Administration. "This is a long-term problem, and the area will be closed for an extended period of time."

The state owns and maintains the road, which borders the west side of Capitol Lake.

On Friday afternoon, a section of the road fell apart.

The once-level sidewalk is not merely cracked; in some areas it has dropped two or three feet. In other parts, the sidewalk remained in place but the earth surrounding it did not, leaving the equivalent of an unstable suspension bridge.

Orange cones and tape did not stop locals from dancing along the parkway Thursday. A 6-foot-tall chain link fence installed Friday -- plus Washington State Patrol officers -- finally stopped the music.

General Administration workers hope to have signs up by Monday telling drivers the area is closed.

Federal disaster relief workers will help the state evaluate damages, although Schilperoort said it is too soon to estimate costs.

Other damages

Although LOTT project engineer Brian Topalski said the company's new sewer pump was not damaged, other areas near Deschutes Parkway were hard hit.

Marathon Park's parking lot was destroyed. A wildlife habitat trail near Interstate 5 ends with a drop of 10 to 12 feet.

On the plus side, the South Sound dry winter is helping prevent damage.

When water, such as Thursday and Friday's rain, seeps into the cracked earth, it can cause a mudslide.

"We're lucky that it's been a dry winter," Schilperoort said. "If the ground had been saturated, we would have had major dropoff into the lake."

Heath Hodge, a student at The Evergreen State College, said he'll take alternate routes when walking his dog, Freedom.

"We drove right over there right after the earthquake," Hodge said. "But when I went down there yesterday, I saw the traffic and the workers and left."

Schilperoort said the damage is severe because Deschutes Parkway is built on weak fill material.

"It's bad anyway you look at it," Schilperoort said. "We're going to have to completely start over."

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