The City of Arlington has decided to close a section of Tveit Road after recent heavy rains caused the roadway to begin sliding down the hill on which it is perched. The closure began at 7 a.m. Friday, April 17, and will continue until further notice.

We understand it's a major inconvenience to everyone that needs to travel in that area," said city spokesperson Kristin Banfield. "We have to ensure that the roadway is safe for travel and it is clearly not in its current condition."

The winter storms in December and January caused an 80-foot crack to appear in the roadway, and engineers conducted a geotechnical survey to determine the road's safety. While the initial survey revealed some weakness, the heavy April rains undermined the roadbed and portions of the surface have begun sliding down the hill.

Although the slide area only affects a small area of Tveit Road, from 92nd Avenue NE to 9202 Tveit Road, the closure mandates a 6-mile-long detour for the heavily traveled road.

"This is a major route used routinely by our fire department to transport patients to Cascade Valley Hospital from points east of town," said Banfield. "In addition to changes to our transport routes to and from town, the Arlington School District has had to reconfigure a few bus routes and the Post Office has also had to alter their delivery routes."

Repairing the roadway will likely be a long and costly process, said Banfield. Because of the road's position on the hillside, crews will either have to build up buttresses to hold the road in place, or dig out a portion of the hill next to the road to move it over. Either solution is estimated to cost about $600,000, money the city doesn't have in its budget.

The city has appealed to FEMA for assistance with the repair costs, and is researching other funding options.

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