News from King County Department of Transportation
Release date:  June 15, 2007

Closure planned for Black Diamond-Ravensdale Road

The King County Road Services Division will be replacing an aging and undersized culvert underneath Black Diamond-Ravensdale Road that will result in a two-week closure and detour.

The road will be closed from 7 a.m. Tuesday, June 19 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 3. It will be closed just north of the intersection with Southeast 310th Street where the roadway crosses Ginder Creek.

The culvert that carries the creek underneath the roadway is beginning to fail, causing both shoulders of the road to undermine and erode. In addition, 200 feet of rockery supporting the road on the upstream side has slid and shifted over the decades, and needs to be replaced.

During the closure, crews will be installing a new, larger culvert that will better support the road and allow the creek to flow more freely under the road reducing the amount of erosion on either end. Replacing the old narrow culvert with a larger one will also improve local drainage to reduce flooding and create better passage for fish and wildlife.

During the closure, motorists can detour via the Kent-Kangley Road and State Route 169 (Maple Valley Highway).