Westside Highway closed after 100-foot crack appears

Westside Highway between S.W. Cove Road and McIntyre Road S.W. was closed Wednesday afternoon after a 100-foot crack appeared on the roadway, posing potential hazards.

Westside Highway between S.W. Cove Road and McIntyre Road S.W. was closed Wednesday afternoon after a 100-foot crack appeared on the roadway, posing potential hazards.

Rochelle Ogershok, a spokeswoman for the King County Roads Division, said road engineers believe the crack occurred because of soil saturation that caused the road to sink a little bit.

“It’s a pretty good crack,” she said.

Engineers don’t know when the road will be reopened. An inspection will need to take place to figure out how severe the crack is and how to best repair it, Ogershok said.

Though the weekend storms have lessened, the days of record rainfall have taken a toll on the region, Ogershok said. Many roads are still closed, and problems continue to crop up.

“As the ground settles, … we can see problems develop, … and this situation (on the Westside Highway) is an example of that very phenomenon,” she said.