News from King County Department of Transportation
Release date:  Nov. 9, 2006

Crews save flood-damaged bridge near Upper Preston But damage to bridge and nearby road is severe

After extreme flooding on the Raging River ravaged a bridge on Preston Frontage Road and a section of Upper Preston Road Southeast, King County Road Services Division crews report they were able to at least stabilize the bridge early this morning. The bridge had been in jeopardy of collapsing, given severe undermining during the height of the flood. The bridge and road provide vital access to residents living in the small East King County neighborhood of Upper Preston.

The Preston Frontage Bridge was stabilized sometime after midnight after a marathon effort to haul in numerous dump trucks of large rocks to reinforce the severely eroded riverbank below the bridge. During the height of the flood, the abutment supporting the bridge was undermined, causing major instability. Now that the bridge, built in 1976, has been stabilized crews will continue work to reinforce the structure and restore the damaged approach. That work will continue over the next several days. Depending on weather conditions, the Road Services Division estimates it will take 10 days to two weeks to complete repairs.

The Roads Division also reports that major damage has occurred to Upper Preston Road Southeast. A 250-foot section of ground beneath the two-lane road has now been washed away due to high flows on the river. Crews are making every effort to preserve limited access by using the inner shoulder of the roadway, but there is no way to stabilize the road until large-scale permanent repairs are made. Given the scale and complexity of the work, it will likely take many weeks to complete repairs.

In the meantime, the Roads Division has turned its attention to exploring options that may provide Upper Preston residents with a temporary road out of the area until the road is fixed. Over the next few days, crews hope to be able to forge a temporary gravel road to the east that ties into State Route 18. In the short term, however, road crews are coordinating access to and from the neighborhood during limited two-hour periods in the morning and afternoon.

County emergency officials are also working with Eastside Fire and Rescue to ensure emergency access to the area of about 200 homes. First responders are in the process of positioning emergency aid and fire equipment and vehicles at locations where they can be dispatched quickly. At this time, there are no reports of injuries in the area as a result of the storm.

On a more positive note, floodwaters have slowly receded and power has generally been restored to residents living in the Upper Preston neighborhood.

Elsewhere in the county, road crews continue to address numerous other problems this afternoon. There are still well over 30 roads maintained by King County that remain closed – and of which are located near rivers in lowland areas of east and south King County. Crews are also continuing to work to remove debris that has piled up against many bridges impacted by high floodwater.

Residents should continue to closely monitor weather reports and road closure updates until conditions stabilize. If residents spot a problem on a road maintained by the county, they should report it by calling (206) 296-8100 or 1-800 KC ROADS.