WSDOT crews and contractors have finished emergency slide repairs on SR 165 south of Carbonado, re-opening traffic while crews prepare to finish the road next year.

The road is repaired and opened Dec. 9 with a gravel driving surface, the state Department of Transportation announced Friday. Contractor crews have removed the temporary signals between mileposts 10.93 and 11.72 where slides occurred.

Crews will finish final paving next year, according to WSDOT, likely around February or March and contingent on weather.

Heavy rain last January caused washouts and other road problems that required WSDOT crews to survey and repair the roadway. Work started in October.

The project cost $1.2 million in design and construction, according to WSDOT, and the emergency repair contract was awarded to Scarsella Brothers, Inc.

Travelers should still be prepared for alternating one-way traffic across the Fairfax Bridge, which predated the slides and is due to the bridge’s age.