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
Forecasters warned that heavy runoff from upstream is likely to make repairs trickier, and the California-Nevada River Forecast Center shows the Russian River gauge near Guerneville hovering around an action and monitor stage of about 29.0 feet. That is still under the 32-foot flood stage but high enough to speed up erosion along the riverbank. Forecasts kept the gauge near that level into Tuesday afternoon, according to the California-Nevada River Forecast Center.
Why This Stretch Is Vulnerable
Caltrans has long flagged this section of SR-116 as slide-prone and last year kicked off a retaining wall and culvert replacement effort to shore up the north-side slope between Guerneville and Monte Rio. The agency plans to evaluate long-term repairs once crews can safely stabilize the riverbank, according to Caltrans District 4.
What Drivers Should Know
Drivers can expect alternating one-way traffic control or even full closures while the repair work is underway, and should budget extra travel time through the Russian River corridor. Updated closure maps and safety information are posted on the county’s emergency site, according to Sonoma County.
Officials said the closest home to the washout was vacant and no injuries were reported. Crews planned to reinforce the shoulder before reopening the lane. This story will be updated as Caltrans and county crews release repair timelines.
