Newly discovered pier settlement on the State Route 107 Chehalis River Bridge just south of Montesano has led Washington State Department of Transportation officials to temporarily close the bridge to travelers next week.

Crews will soon kick off an effort to add a new roadway surface to several areas of State Route 8 between Elma and Summit Lake in Thurston County. In addition to the highway, crews also will repave the westbound and eastbound SR 8 exits to US 12 Oakville/Centralia in Elma.

The work will begin Monday, July 15 and continue into fall.

What this means for travelers

• Daytime travelers will see single-lane closures in each direction.
• The Washington State Department of Transportation will lower the current 60 mph speed limit to 35 miles per hour when construction activities require lane closure.
• Ramp paving will require night closures. WSDOT will announce when this closures are scheduled. 

The city of Cosmopolis will be paving on the roadway entering Cosmo Specialty Fibers’ West Gate on July 3rd, 4th, and 5th, reopening on July 6th.

In working with the City of Cosmopolis and the Cosmopolis Police Department, we collectively reached the conclusion that the F Street Boat Launch will be closed during this time to all vehicles, boats, and pedestrians. Access to the boat launch will resume on July 6th.

Cosmo Specialty Fibers will require the rerouting of all truck traffic to the mill through our property adjacent to the boat launch.

Washington State Parks, in cooperation with Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will temporarily close a 4-mile stretch of beach from Warrenton Cannery Road to Cranberry Beach Road to motorized vehicles.