Public Works
Road Maintenance
ROAD ALERT
Highway 2/Chumstick Highway: On Tuesday, Oct. 4, WSDOT will close U.S. Highway 2 from milepost 84.5 to 99 to perform time-sensitive highway maintenance between Coles Corner and Leavenworth. The closure allows WSDOT crews to expedite prewinter maintenance in several work zones through Tumwater Canyon, including hazard tree removal, shoulder and ditch clearing, and guardrail and pavement repair. The closure is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday only.
During the closure, passenger vehicles can detour on Chumstick Highway; however, this is a county road and is not appropriate for freight. Freight needing access east of Leavenworth during the closure time should use I-90 Snoqualmie to Highway 97 Blewett and approach on Highway 2 westbound. For the safety of the public and crews, all travelers, including bicyclists and pedestrians, must stay out of the closure area.
Malaga-Alcoa Highway/South Wenatchee Avenue Intersection: A contractor for Link Transit is reconfiguring the intersection (the southern intersection near Carlson Loop), making it more suitable for transit busses when they turn from onto South Wenatchee Avenue. A closure of the southern intersection is expected to last until about mid-October. A marked detour is available via Beuzer Street and South Wenatchee Avenue.
WEEKLY UPDATE
Information regarding maintenance work occurring in the county maintenance districts for the week of Oct. 3, 2022:
| District 1 (Wenatchee) |
The crew will be cleaning culverts and brushing in the district. |
| District 2 (Cashmere) |
The crew will be doing shoulder stabilization work on Olalla Canyon Road as well as patching, cleaning culverts and doing equipment maintenance. |
| District 3 (Leavenworth) |
The crew will be doing shoulder work on White River Road near Lake Wenatchee. Motorists should watch for one-lane, flagger-controlled traffic with minor delays in the work zone. The crew also will be mowing in the district’s upper routes. |
| District 4 (Entiat) |
The crew will be brushing on Entiat River Road. |
| District 5 (Chelan) |
The crew will be working primarily on Union Valley Road, performing scheduled maintenance. The crew will grade the road from the end of the asphalt to the top of Jerry Garton Lane. Material also will be added to the primitive roadway. On Oct. 6, a contractor will spray a maintenance coat of magnesium chloride and beet juice on the 1.1-mile stretch. The mixture will harden and help maintain the roadway. Motorists should watch for flaggers directing traffic and for increased truck traffic on Union Valley Road during the week of Oct. 3. Plan for minor delays. |
Need to find out which Chelan County Maintenance District you live in? Go to Maintenance Districts Map.
Vegetation Management
Chelan County’s primary objectives for roadside vegetation management are:
- Provide for safe travel on County roads.
- Preservation of roadway infrastructure with desirable vegetation and stable roadsides.
- Compliance with legal regulations concerning control of noxious weeds.
Herbicides are a cost-effective method of maintaining vegetation, and selective use over time require, less product to manage vegetation as native grasses and low-growing plants fill in along roadsides.
Why does the County use herbicide to thin brush?
Safe travel requires maintaining sight distance at corners, curves and intersections, ensuring water flows off of pavement and providing areas for vehicles to safely pull off the road. This is accomplished with pruning, vegetation removal or herbicide thinning of deciduous vegetation.
Herbicide thinning is only used on brush and trees (apart from landscape vegetation or commercial farms after Sept. 1). Only the limbs of the plant sprayed are affected and those limbs will not leaf out the following year. It does not kill the plant.
What herbicides are used in the residual program?
When the spray zone is near sensitive areas, such as orchards, vineyards, residences and rivers, lakes and irrigation canals, the chemicals used in these areas are soft residual products that are safe to use up to the water’s edge and near orchards, vineyards or landscaping. In non-sensitive areas, different herbicides with selective properties can be used to address vegetation control issues.
Why control noxious weeds?
The County is required by state law to control all listed noxious weeds that occur on the right-of-way (RCW 17.10). The County is also sensitive to the needs and concerns of adjacent landowners, both for controlling the spread of noxious weeds and the need for use of herbicides to control vegetation. All herbicides used by the County are on the State of Washington Vegetation Management Contract. The Washington State Department of Transportation has completed toxicological and risk analysis for all herbicides on the contract and summaries can be accessed on its website. These herbicides have been determined to be the least toxic to mammals, fish and invertebrates.
When does the County spray for noxious weeds?
Control of noxious weeds is performed from mid-May to mid-September. Selective herbicides are used in non-sensitive areas to promote the establishment of perennial grasses. Non-selective herbicide (Roundup®) is used in sensitive areas as it is one of just a few herbicides that is relatively safe to use near landscaping, orchards and vineyards.
Does the County spray herbicide on all of the right-of-way for noxious weed control?
No. The County spot sprays noxious weeds selectively throughout the spring and summer to promote the establishment of perennial grasses.
Is it safe for me to walk my pets after an application has been made?
Yes. It is safe to come into contact with areas after the herbicide has dried. If pets lick their feet after walking through a treated area, it is advisable to rinse their feet with water, although at the rates of application there is little risk to pets or people.
What if I do not want the County to spray herbicide on the right-of-way adjoining my property?
The County has a program in place for landowners to maintain the County right-of-way in lieu of the County applying herbicides. The County will place “Owner Will Maintain” signs (at no expense to the landowner) at the start and stop of your property, to indicate where to stop and to resume spraying. Under this agreement, the landowner is responsible to control all noxious weeds, keep vegetation from encroaching onto the asphalt and keep brush and trees back from the right-of-way line of sight and around utilities and signs. Failure to comply with the terms of the agreement will result in the County removing the Owner Will Maintain signs and resuming use of herbicides to control vegetation.
Posted: 10/20/2014 11:08 AM
Last Updated: 09/30/2022 02:54 PM