When the city of Sammamish noticed a large crack on 212th Way, also known as Snake Hill, they became concerned with safety on the roadway and knew it had to be fixed. What they don’t know is how much it will cost.

Snake Hill is located on the south end of East Lake Sammamish Parkway. It is adjacent to wetlands, has a steep hill slope, a guardrail, but no shoulder space, and a poor drainage steep.

Laura Philpot, director of public works, said that when dealing with the large crack in the roadway, they removed the top layer of concrete and it was clear there was extensive underlying damage.

“It’s time to get serious about fixing it,” said City Manager Ben Yazici.

Philpot said the roadway is currently safe. However, it will continue to move. While the cost of maintenance for the road is unknown, Philpot said it can be up to $100,000 per year.

Philpot said they need to widen the road, construct walls and put in a new guardrail as well as a tight line to the ditch for storm water drainage. However the cost of this is currently unknown.

Snake Hill is used as a bus route for the Issaquah School District, which means construction may effect drive times and route plans for the 2015-2016 school year. Councilmember Tom Odell asked if they should contact the district as a precaution, but Yazici said he’d like to get the plans in place before taking that step.

In order to make a permanent fix, Philpot said the city needs a solid defensible construction cost estimate, which requires a preliminary design.

Philpot said she’d like to see the project included in the 2015-2016 budget proposal, which means a cost estimate needs to be approved no later than late September.

“This is going to be a very expensive project,” Yazici said.

Kelly Montgomery: 425-391-0363; kmontgomery@issaquahreporter.com