County public works and WSDOT win award for post-mudslide road rebuild

OSO — The agencies that hurried to rebuild Highway 530 after the deadly mudslide here, which isolated Darrington from the rest of Snohomish County, are receiving national recognition for their work.

The American Public Works Association awarded its first President’s Special Recognition Award to Snohomish County Public Works and the state Department of Transportation for the highway rebuild.

The mudslide in March 2014 killed 43 people and buried the highway. The county and state coordinated eight contractors and hundreds of workers to get the key connection restored in six months.

They also worked around professional and volunteer crews that searched the mud until every victim was found. Balancing the technical necessities of building a road and the emotional toll of the disaster was deemed essential.

“The balance was pretty clear to us,” said Travis Phelps, a spokesman with the Department of Transportation. “We knew that this wasn’t your normal project and we had to approach it in a very different way … With a disaster of this magnitude, you kind of take off your department hat and put on your team hat.”

The state and county departments pushed to get the highway reopened as soon as possible while respecting the area as sacred ground for families who lost loved ones in the slide. Crews were “honored and humbled” to work so closely with the community, Phelps said.

The route between Arlington and Darrington reopened in stages. First there was a bumpy power-line access road that became a makeshift detour while the highway was cleared, followed by alternating one-way traffic while crews worked on the highway. It opened to two-way traffic with a 25 mph speed limit in June and was back to full speed — 50 mph — in late September.

Crews built a new, elevated road through the slide zone, in places 20 feet higher than the previous highway, to prepare for flooding. They added culverts to manage water runoff, reinforced slopes along the road and coordinated the planting of 43 trees as a memorial to those who died in the slide.

“People showed up offering help and at times there were more than 1,000 on site from various agencies across the state,” said Steve Thomsen, the county’s public works director, in a news release. “We were all drawn to a common goal — to help those in need.”

The American Public Works Association represents a mix of public and private organizations from around the country. Headquartered in Missouri, it has 67 chapters in North America, including one in Washington.

The state chapter of APWA gave the Highway 530 rebuild its 2015 Project of the Year award for the Disaster/Emergency Construction Repair category.

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439, kbray@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.