State Route 504 is finally on its way to being whole again. Crews are scheduled to start work next week to reconnect the highway to the Johnston Ridge Observatory at Mount St. Helens, restoring the only road to the popular viewpoint after a massive landslide snapped the route. The project will replace the washed-out Spirit Lake Outlet Bridge and rebuild a damaged stretch of the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway, a break that has kept the observatory closed for nearly three years.
As reported by KGW on April 10, 2026, the Washington State Department of Transportation said crews would begin work the following week to permanently repair SR 504 and restore access to the Johnston Ridge Observatory. That announcement followed months of design work, environmental review and contracting aimed at a long-term replacement instead of another short-lived bypass.
WSDOT's project page lays out what went wrong. On May 14, 2023, a South Coldwater debris slide dumped roughly 300,000 cubic yards of rock, mud and ice onto SR 504 and wiped out the 85-foot Spirit Lake Outlet Bridge at milepost 49, cutting the only road to Johnston Ridge. Since then, the upper highway has been closed at the winter gate at milepost 45.2 while crews and planners worked on a long-term fix and environmental permits moved forward. The agency's timeline shows planning, design and contracting through early 2026, with construction scheduled to kick off in spring 2026.
About a dozen visitors were stranded beyond the slide and had to be rescued by helicopter the next morning, according to KPTV. WSDOT notes that "The temporary structure WSDOT emergency contractors installed during summer 2023 failed after only four months," and the agency says that experience pushed planners to focus on a permanent two-lane roadway and bridge replacement instead of trying another quick fix.
Bridge Replacement And Timeline
Local reporting says the new span will be built with the site’s volatility firmly in mind. KGW reports that WSDOT expects the replacement bridge to resemble the old one but be longer and more durable, with crews aiming to wrap up major construction later this year, followed by work from the U.S. Forest Service. WSDOT has framed the effort as a project that will restore safe, reliable access for both visitors and emergency responders for years to come.
Where Visitors Can Go Now
The U.S. Forest Service notes that Johnston Ridge itself is still off limits, but several sites along SR 504 remain open. Those include the Mount St. Helens Science and Learning Center at Coldwater and the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center at Silver Lake. For current closure points, seasonal hours and alternatives, travelers are urged to check the Gifford Pinchot National Forest guidance before planning a trip.
This construction marks a major step toward bringing back the close-in crater views that draw visitors from southwest Washington and the Portland area, but officials caution that the observatory itself will not spring back to life overnight. After sitting dark for years, it will take time to refurbish the facility and bring staff back. Agencies say to expect phased updates as construction and weather allow, and that visitors will be welcomed to Johnston Ridge only after both the road and the observatory are fully safe and restored.
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