By Tamara Hellman

In a creative approach to getting more done with less, Heidi Holmstrom, one of our maintenance technicians from our Vancouver office, came up with the idea of using her pet herd of goats to remove invasive weeds like the Japanese knotweed. Seeds from the knotweed plant are transferred by water and sediment; quickly becoming a big problem in Clark County.

Front row: Choco, Buttons, Fergie and Taffy. Second row: Daisy and Irma. Third row: Mocha, Latte, Cappuccino and Breve.

Heidi’s herd of 15 goats resided in an acre and a half of land this summer off State Route 503 near Brush Prairie. The area was fenced to make sure the goats did not take off or block the roadway. During the summer the group of goats chomped away at the invasive Japanese knotweed; but also other weeds like sweet pea, blackberry vines and scotch broom. Not only do the goats get a decent meal out of the deal, their two-stage digestion process ensures the invasive plants do not re-root and continue to spread.

Maintenance Tech Heidi Holmstrom with a baby goat.

The short-term saving for maintenance equipment and staff is about $15,000, with the only costs being some animal crackers to treat the goats and Heidi’s time to check on her babies.

Another benefit of going goat is we avoid costly herbicide on the knotweed. The most effective application, aside from using goats, is injecting herbicide directly into the root of each plant. That process takes time, equipment and staff hours away from other roadway maintenance work. Cutting down the Japanese knotweed isn’t a good option as it becomes a bigger problem, because segments will re-root themselves, becoming brand new plants that just keep multiplying.

Irma is ready for her close-up.

Aside from being a fun approach to a serious problem, goats are an eco-friendly, low carbon-footprint alternative to weed control. Previously maintenance crews would have to go into this area with gas powered tools and use herbicides. The other day, I was driving and couldn’t see around a corner. It made me realize how important the work of these goats was.

The goats are on winter break, but will be back to work in the spring and hungry for more.

There’s a lot of hubbub surrounding the I-5 closure in Vancouver this weekend. Crews will close all lanes of I-5 in Salmon Creek at 11 p.m. Friday, June 7. The interstate will reopen to traffic by 5 a.m. Monday, June 10.

In the meantime…

Drivers are doing their prep work – making detour plans, downloading the WSDOT mobile app and planning for delays. We’re also preparing for this massive closure – here’s what it looks like in our world this morning. 

Line ‘em up!

Six of the 12 girders are lined up on the side of I-5, waiting to be hoisted into the air over the interstate. Crews are looking to make the most of every second that I-5 is closed. By staging girders on site ahead of time, they won’t waste any down-time between girders.

Bracing for impact…
It’s no small feat to close I-5 and detour tens of thousands of drivers. Our traffic control team has sorted and stacked traffic signs for the weekend and will put them all in place on the highways Friday night.

Ready for heavy lifting…

Crews are currently assembling the three, 500-ton cranes that will be doing all the heavy lifting this weekend. The size of the crane gives a little perspective to the scale of this weekend’s undertaking. Each girder is 175,000 lbs. – it will take three of these monster cranes to install them.

Fill ‘er up!

This one should be self-explanatory. It’s going to be a long weekend, and we’re in it with you.

Plan for delays if you’re traveling through Vancouver this weekend, and make sure to visit the project website to find more information about the closure location and detour routes. Good luck, all – we’ll see you on the other side!

by guest blogger Heidi Sause

I know I’m not the only person in Southwest Washington who longs for warm weather. When the weather forecast displays five little yellow suns lined up in a row, I want to throw my hands in the air, skip around like a fool and call out: “jackpot!” 

Maybe not everyone expresses warm-weather enthusiasm with the same dramatics that I do, but I’ve noticed that local outdoor venues in Vancouver take advantage of the sunny season and fill their summer schedules with concerts and events. Every year popular acts come to town. Every year people buy tickets and pour into the amphitheater and flock to the fairgrounds. And every year, traffic slows to a crawl.

Why? Because big-name acts and events bring large groups of people together. But when the thousands of concert-goers and fair-attendees pour onto the same highways all at once, they often wind up parked on a jam-packed interstate with the AC cranked instead of enjoying themselves at their destinations.

Two of our top priorities are to keep people safe and moving on our state highways. Each season presents unique challenges to these priorities, and the summer season is no exception. As a driver, one way you can protect your speedometer and keep the little red needle off of “0” is to know before you go. We say it often, because knowledge and preemptive planning are the best ways to avoid traffic delays.

We keep the travel alerts page updated 24-7 with current information on highway conditions, and you can always dial 5-1-1 to hear up-to-date traffic reports. It’s also a good idea to pay attention to the events planned for your local area. Whether you’re headed to the Clark County Fair, going out to see the Lilith Fair girls or getting ready to rock with Crosby, Stills and Nash – remember that traffic congestion increases when large events take place and plan for a longer drive or take alternate routes when possible.

And while you’re at it - don’t forget to wear sunscreen.

Upcoming events at the Sleep Country Amphitheater and Fairgrounds in Clark County:
June 11:  Crosby, Stills and Nash concert event – Sleep Country Amphitheater
July 2:  Lilith Fair concert event – Sleep Country Amphitheater
July 23:  Toby Keith concert event – Sleep Country Amphitheater
August 6 – 15:  Clark County Fair – Clark County Fairgrounds

Event Locations:
Sleep Country Amphitheater
17200 Northeast Delfel Road
Ridgefield, WA - (360) 816-7000

Clark County Fairgrounds and Event Center
17402 Northeast Delfel Road
Ridgefield, WA - (360) 397-6180