County outlines emergency road work: Barnes Drive contract, Toutle Park monitoring and Holcomb reopening

Mike Moss, Cowlitz County public services director, and Susan Eugenis, county engineer, briefed the Board of Commissioners on recent and planned road work, emphasizing flood- and landslide-related responses and steps to secure reimbursement when eligible.

Eugenis said the county has been monitoring Toutle Park Road and that a survey crew is ready to resurvey on short notice depending on river and rain conditions. On Barnes Drive, she said a survey is complete, legal has reviewed the contract, and the contractor is expected to sign so work could begin as soon as Monday with an anticipated 10–15 day schedule. “We are gonna be able to complete all of the work that we need to do within the existing right of way,” Eugenis said.

Staff said the Barnes Drive contract includes FEMA-required language and prevailing-wage rates so the county can seek reimbursement once federal review is complete; staff cautioned that FEMA reimbursement is an accounting and reimbursement process that can lag the work.

Moss and Eugenis also reported that Holcomb Road — closed last week after a landslide — has stopped moving; crews ground out and patched the roadway and reopened it. For West Canyon View Road, staff described repeated panel lifting and wet springs; staff said past in-house repairs cost about $14,000 per panel and recommended targeting worst panels across construction seasons and considering drainage or underdrain work.

The commissioners did not take a formal vote on these updates; staff said contracts and signatures for projects would be brought back when ready.