OLYMPIA -- It's still anybody's guess when and how Deschutes Parkway in Olympia will be repaired.
A 1.7-mile stretch of the roadway along Capitol Lake cracked and crumbled from the force of the 6.8 magnitude Nisqually Earthquake.
The unstable soils under and around the road continue to shift and slide under the watchful eyes of state engineers.
"We're still seeing movement in the road," said David Schilperoort, a senior planner with the state Department of General Administration.
Schilperoort said it will be at least two months before enough geotechnical data is gathered to figure out what the options are for repairing the state-owned road.
Options could range from a road rebuilt on pilings to an access road for emergency vehicles only.
Other highways
Elsewhere in South Sound, repairs continue on several state and local highways damaged by the earthquake.
A sinkhole that wiped out the northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 101 near Mud Bay should be repaired this summer at a cost of roughly $250,000, state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Sue Zemek said.
Crews prepared a detour around the landslide immediately after the earthquake.
"We're going to put the road back where it was," Zemek said. "It's in the road median now."
The timetable for repairs to state Route 302 in Mason County near Allyn is less clear, she said.
A temporary gravel detour is expected to open this week.
It could be next year before the state secures all the permits for a permanent fix, Zemek said of the road that borders North Bay in Case Inlet.
In Olympia, soil stability under and near three sections of city streets remains a concern, but not enough to pose an immediate threat to motorists, city Public Works Director Michael Mucha said.
The streets in question include Martin Way near Ensign Road, Capitol Boulevard just south of Interstate 5, and Lakeridge Drive heading up Courthouse Hill.
All three sites are the scene of further engineering studies to determine if roadway banks or road bases will require strengthening, Mucha said.
John Dodge covers the environment and energy for The Olympian. He can be reached at 754-5444.
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