WENATCHEE - The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will close State Route 28 near Rock Island Dam for four days to stabilize a rock slope above the highway.
     The four-day continuous closure begins on Friday, March 28th at 9 p.m., until Wednesday, April 2nd at 5 a.m.
     The closure is necessary for the third phase of an $8.5 million project that started in 2002. More potentially dangerous rock will be removed during the closure, then later this summer, steel nets will be installed over the western-most part of the slope.
     It takes about a half-hour to drive between East Wenatchee and Quincy on State Route 28.
     While the highway is closed, drivers will have to use alternative routes through Waterville and Ephrata or Blewett Pass and I-90. Both routes add 90 minutes or more to the trip.
     Visit the project web page for maps. An average of 6,500 to 6,900 vehicles per day travel past Rock Island Dam. In an effort to reduce the number of days the roadway is closed, the contractor is being offered an incentive for early completion.
     In 2002, the first phase of the slope stabilization project blasted rock from the eastern-most portion of the 300-foot slope and cost $2.4 million.
     The second phase, in 2004, cost $2 million and constructed a large concrete wall to hold rock in place above the western-most section where phase three will take place.
     In December, the third phase of the project was awarded to Janod Inc. for $2.4 million, 25 percent under the engineering estimate.
     Drivers can get real time traffic and weather information by dialing 5-1-1. Callers should also use 5-1-1 to get statewide construction, mountain pass condition, and state ferry system information, as well as toll free numbers for passenger rail and airlines. TTY users can call 1-800-833-6388.