A soggy hillside along the lower Russian River gave way yesterday and chewed off part of State Route 116 east of Monte Rio, destabilizing the roadway and forcing crews to funnel eastbound drivers into the westbound lane. Emergency crews quickly sealed off the damaged stretch while firefighters and highway workers checked the edge of the road for any sign the collapse might keep spreading.
Sonoma County activated its emergency operations center and urged people in west county to skip nonessential trips as the storm pushed through, according to Sonoma County. County emergency pages are carrying a running list of closed roads along with safety tips for residents trying to navigate the messy conditions.
Where The River Ate The Road
The washout peeled away the support under a long section of the eastbound shoulder, with the Russian River scouring roughly 100 feet of roadway edge and eroding up to 75 lateral feet of the pavement. “They’re going to have to block this so no one goes into the river,” Monte Rio Fire assistant chief Steve Baxman said, as reported by The Press Democrat.
Rain And River Forecasts…