Travelers who pass through Deception Pass State Park this spring and summer will notice sections of new log guardrail along a two-mile stretch of State Route 20. WSDOT took on the $5.5 million historic replacement project in an effort to better protect drivers if they have a collision on SR 20 in Deception Pass State Park. The number of collisions had increased from 10 in 1980 to 22 in 2000. The guardrail system, built in the 1930s, was not designed to withstand the force of modern collisions. Some of the original logs had begun to rot, and a few of the stone masonry supports had begun to crumble and fall over. The new guardrail meets much stricter safety guidelines than the original rail.
Construction began in September 2007 to replace guardrail at the three locations with the greatest need for safety improvements: Near Pass Lake, just north of the Deception Pass Bridge and near the intersection with Cornet Bay Road.
Now, less than one year later, the new guardrail is in place. Along a two-mile stretch of roadway within the 4,134-acre state park, crews replaced 4,285 feet, or about half the guardrail. Connected sections of 18-foot Douglas fir logs reinforced with a 3/8-inch steel plate form the railing. Stone masonry supports, built using stone taken from the original 1930s supports, and metal posts hold the railing in place.
Prior to construction, officials from WSDOT collaborated with Washington State Parks and Recreation, Washington State Patrol, Washington State Office of Archaeology and Historical Preservation, and the Federal Highway Administration to design the new guardrail. Their goal was to design a system that would meet current safety standards and retain the historical characteristics of the original guardrail, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.
Crews will come back early next month and install permanent lane markings.