Washington State DOT resumes landslide mitigation work

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) this week will begin landslide mitigation work near Mukilteo and Everett in an effort to prevent passenger-rail service disruptions north of Seattle.

WSDOT crews will resume work this week on projects aimed at shoring up slopes along rail lines that are mudslide-prone, WSDOT officials said in a press release.

The department is spending $16.1 million on slide management projects. Six sites were selected for the work: two projects were completed in 2014. Work this summer and early fall work will occur at three sites near Mukilteo and one near Everett.

Work will include building retaining walls to catch debris before it hits tracks; creating slide detection fences for early landslide warning; and improving slope stabilization, erosion control and drainage systems.

WSDOT, Amtrak, BNSF Railway Co., Sound Transit and other partners formed the Landslide Mitigation Work Group in 2013. The group has researched historical slide locations and causes along coastal bluffs and used that data to identify the six project sites. The group also meets with local governments and citizens about ways landowners can help prevent slides on their property.

The two stabilization projects completed near Mukilteo in 2014 did not have any landslides during the subsequent fall/winter rainy season.