Susan Genes, Cowlitz County engineer, told the Board of Commissioners that a contractor has submitted an agreement to establish a detour while it repairs a sinkhole and culvert on Westside Highway near milepost 9.55. The contractor proposes routing traffic onto Cook Ferry Road and Hoyer Road and closing the state highway segment while work proceeds, with a construction schedule running July through Oct. 31.

"They are looking at doing a detour route, on to Cook Ferry and then Hoyer, for and then closing down the highway so they can repair that culvert," Genes said. She said the contractor's standard agreement includes a clause obligating the contractor to fund upgrades and repairs if the detour causes excess damage to the county roads used as the temporary route, which are local-access roads.

Genes said county staff will have an inspector or design technician document the condition of the detour roads before work begins so the county can compare baseline conditions to post-project conditions. She also said she has contacted the Washington State Department of Transportation about handling speeding complaints during the detour and that temporary traffic calming devices used previously ("temporary speed bumps") are under consideration. "We will probably, during the project, have to reach out to the sheriffs to increase speed controls," Genes said. She added the contractor is planning to restrict heavier trucks and keep the detour route predominantly for passenger vehicles.

Commissioners expressed concern about enforcement and the potential for some trucks to ignore restrictions. One commissioner noted, "If we didn't agree to it, people are gonna use them anyway," and Genes responded that the signed agreement gives the county leverage to require repairs and mitigation.

The board gave staff permission to sign the contractor's standard detour agreement so discussions and planning can proceed.

The county engineer said the schedule likely coincides with a local fish-window period and that timing allows work within regulatory limits: "I believe that fish window is July 15 to September 30. And you usually can extend it if you're already in the water to, October 15."