Category Archives: Middle Fork Road

The FONSI says “Pave the Road!”

The Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) selected the preferred alternative and issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Road Project.

  • The roadway will be 20-feet in width for most of the 9.7 mile project area
  • The road will be improved/paved from MP 2.7 (Valley Camp) to 12.4 (Campground)
  • The grade will be raised to minimize flood damage
  • Sharp curves will be softened with minor alignment adjustments
  • Pullouts will avoid the need to park cars where they encroach on the roadway
  • Bridges at MP 6.0, 8.4, and 10.6 will be replaced

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Project area location map

20110212MP6Bridge

MP 6.0 bridge – deteriorated abutments and substandard railing

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MP 8.4 bridge – functionally obsolete and structurally deficient

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MP 10.6 bridge – scour has undermined the abutments


Documents
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Middle Fork Road Project Environmental Assessment

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Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)

Ice Storm

Trees on Mt Si trail get tipsy

Trees on Mt Si trail get tipsy in wake of storm. Photo by Nancy Higgins

A major ice storm swept through the valley the second week of January leaving hundreds of thousands of homes without power for days. Residents report “hearing trees popping” in the forest. Valley Camp posted this ominious comment on the Goldmyer facebook page: “Middle Fork road is impassable. Due to freezing rain the road is blocked by trees. Bring chainsaws and chains.” By the weekend the couplet section of the road was cleared, but so many trees were down it was impossible to drive beyond that. A week later firewood collectors and others had opened the road to the Taylor River. Finally in early February a Northwest Wilderness crew cleared the stretch to the Dingford gate and on up to Goldmyer.

Snow and trees block the road at Valley Camp

Snow and trees block the road at Valley Camp

The cliff at Island Drop bend drops trees onto road

The cliff at Island Drop bend drops trees onto road



Champion Beach

Trees slide down the hillside near Champion Beach


A Northwest Wilderness group clears blow down before the Dingford gate

A Northwest Wilderness group clears blow down before the Dingford gate


Clearing sticks behind the chainsaws to restore Goldmyer access

Clearing sticks behind the chainsaws to restore Goldmyer access



Related coverage

  • 2012/01/17 Valley Camp Facebook storm updates
  • 2012/01/18 Goldmyer Facebook storm updates
  • 2012/01/18 North Bend man dies from falling tree during weekend storm
  • 2012/08/19 Shut down by ice storm, Valley power may not come back for days
  • 2012/01/21 Urban flooding is new danger after storm
  • 2012/01/23 Snoqualmie mayor proclaims emergency in wake of storms
  • 2012/01/23 Positive outlook sees Lower Snoqualmie Valley through power outage
  • 2012/01/24 Surviving the blackout: Valley residents hunker down amid days-long outage
  • 2012/01/30 High water on the Snoqualmie; King County flood center opens

Torched Mercedes

The Middle Fork has it out for cars and I’m not talking about the potholes. This week added another chapter to the history of cars being dumped, stolen, incapacitated, or torched. All the spur roads were closed long ago, so this Mercedes was burnt to a crisp in the middle of the concrete bridge at MP 5. Authorities were quick to get a truck in to haul off the ashes, but it took winter storms to remove all traces of the high temperature incineration.

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USFS enforcement on the scene

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Furnace


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Later that day, just a shadow

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One month later, a Mercedes nugget