WOODLAND — Drivers using Lewis River Road (SR-503) through Woodland saw daytime congestion on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, as crews worked on a damaged culvert near the Pacific Avenue and Buckeye Street area.

According to a report published Jan. 21 by local radio outlet KLOG, the work window ran from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and included a full closure of the northbound lane near the intersection, with a signed detour in place while the Washington State Department of Transportation and the City of Woodland completed repairs.

While short-duration lane closures are a common feature of street and stormwater maintenance, the location matters: the Pacific Avenue/Lewis River Road area sits inside one of Woodland’s most heavily used corridors for local traffic connecting downtown, the I-5 interchange, and nearby neighborhoods.

What we know (and what we don’t)

  • When: Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, 8 a.m.–3 p.m.
  • Where: Lewis River Road (SR-503), near Pacific Avenue and Buckeye Street in Woodland.
  • Impact: Northbound lane closed; detour posted.
  • Reason: Repair of a damaged culvert.

As of publication, the City of Woodland’s online Public Works news pages did not show a matching Jan. 21, 2026 culvert-repair notice on the same corridor. (The city does, however, routinely posts similar traffic advisories and construction-delay notices on its website.)

Why culverts keep coming up on SR-503

Culvert failures and emergency repairs on the broader SR-503 corridor have been a recurring issue in recent years, particularly after major rain events. For example, WSDOT previously documented an emergency culvert failure repair on the SR-503 Spur near Cougar in December 2023, where traffic was reduced to a single lane with flaggers during repairs.

The Woodland work described Jan. 21 appears to be a separate, in-city maintenance repair rather than a long-duration highway emergency — but it underscores how drainage infrastructure can quickly turn into a traffic choke point when repairs require lane closures.

What to watch for next

Even when a single-day lane closure ends, culvert and drainage repairs can be followed by additional work such as shoulder repair, repaving patches, or follow-up inspections—especially if damage is linked to stormwater surges.

For ongoing travel planning, residents can monitor official updates from WSDOT and the City of Woodland’s Public Works department.

Sources