Basich Boulevard closure to last for months

The closure to Basich Boulevard will continue as the road continues to slide further away.

Aberdeen City Engineer Kris Koski tells KXRO that the area between the  1300 block of Basich Blvd. and Harborview Drive will remain fully closed to all users due to an ongoing landslide and dangerous conditions. 

In April of 2018, surface settlement of the roadway at the location of the slide was seen, and the roadway was closed as a geotechnical engineer evaluated the roadway and hillside. 

That engineer recommended repairs to the roadway surface that were completed in September of 2018, however further settlement was seen following that work leading to the “sudden significant settlement” on December 22, 2019.

On December 23, a Proclamation of Emergency was declared for the area to allow the city to make repairs as soon as possible.

A geotechnical engineer was brought to the area to determine the cause of the settlement. 

Since that time, the settlement has developed into a landslide and has caused major damage to the roadway. 

Repairs will likely require stabilization of the ground and reconstruction of the roadway embankment, utilities, and road surface.

Koski says that a timeline for making the repairs and reopening the roadway is under development, although anyone traveling through the area is advised to plan for the roadway being closed until spring or summer of 2020 as major repairs will be required to restore the roadway and utilities.