Slope stabilizationcontract awarded

The Washington State Department of Transportation has awarded a contract to stabilize a slope just east of Stella at Milepost 50.9 on SR 4. DOT engineer Denys Tak said March 6 that WSDOT has awarded contract to Wilder Construction Company of Bellingham. The company hopes to start work by March 19, if not sooner, Tak said. The department has been negotiating easements with property owners in the area, and there are issues that are not resolved, but the department wants to start work as soon as possible because of safety concerns. "I'm not sure how much longer we can delay," he said. Crews have installed temporary fencing and a portable traffic signal at the site. The temporary setup will remain until work to stabilize the slope is complete. The site has had single lane traffic regulated by a stoplight since the unstable slope was discovered in December.