Beavers expected to delay traffic ... seriously

WOODINVILLE, Wash. (AP) — The Washington state Transportation Department says work crews will need to close a lane of Highway 9 in the northeast Seattle suburb of Woodinville for two days to remove a beaver dam.

The Seattle Times reports the agency says the work will free water to flow through an 80-foot-long culvert that's currently blocked.

If the dam were allowed to remain, transportation officials say soil could be scoured away beneath the highway.

Traffic delays on the four-lane road are expected in the afternoon.

The repairs will begin Thursday morning and could last until Friday evening.