WSDOT and emergency response crews worked through the night to assess the status of major routes in Washington and the reports are indicating that I-90 Snoqualmie Pass will remain closed today. Interstate 5 in Lewis county also remains closed due to flooding.
I-90 remains closed from milepost 33 near North Bend to milepost 106 near Ellensburg and will not open today. High to moderate avalanche danger, washouts, roadway erosion, unstable slopes and mudslides continue to threaten the roadway. Washouts are occurring in several places.
WSDOT crews are working around the clock to assess the situation, make repairs and get emergency contract crews underway. While rain is subsiding, many rivers are still rising. There are no detours available and crews say the water on I-5 in Chehalis is still rising and is expected to crest later today. WSDOT is focusing on establishing viable detour routes to get traffic moving again.
Motorists and freight shippers should anticipate additional travel delays and road closures. Both I-5 and I-90 will remain closed until water levels have dropped and the roadway is determined to be suitable for traffic. It is too early to estimate the time for these openings.
Drivers can now reach the Neah Bay area plus the McCaw and LaPush Indian Reservations. SR 110 near Ballard Road in Forks has reopened to traffic. WSDOT and WSP closed the roadway yesterday due to flooding over the roadway.
Route information is available at the WSDOT web site, http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ and drivers are encouraged to check conditions along their entire route. WSDOT has established a county-by-county list of road closures at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/news/update/.
Close to 40,000 drivers cross Washington’s Cascade Mountains each day, most travel on I-90. Approximately 7,000 trucks typically cross all the mountain passes daily. The area of I-5 through Lewis County see close to 55,000 drivers each day, with 10,000 of those being trucks.
The main north south rail lines along I-5 are closed at Chehalis due to water over the lines. The Amtrak Cascades passenger rail service has cancelled service today.
There are no service bulletins for the Washington State Ferries at this hour and we are encouraging pilots to check for notices to airmen (NOTAMS) before flying. Several temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) are expected throughout the state in response to emergency operations associated with the flooding and other weather related issues. TFRs are expected in western Washington, as well as areas in Spokane, Palouse, and Walla Walla. The TFRs are intended provide a safe environment for search and rescue operations. Current TFR information is available at: http://tfr.faa.gov/tfr_map_ims/html/index.html.
As of 10 a.m. Thursday, we have the following road closures in Washington:
King County
SR 202 – Closed from the northern city limit of Fall City to Fish Hatchery Road due to water over the roadway. This is about a one-mile stretch. Fall City residents can use Preston-Fall City Road to get into Fall City.
SR 202 – Closed from SR 203 to 356th Avenue SE in Fall City.
SR 202 – Closed from the northern city limit of Snoqualmie to North Bend Way in North Bend.
SR 203 between Fall City and Monroe – SR 203 is closed from Fall City to the Tolt River, and from NE 55th St. to NE Carnation Farm Road. SR 203 is also closed between Duvall and Monroe. Drivers can use SR 203 between the Tolt River and NE 55th St. and between NE Carnation Farm Road and Duvall.
SR 410 – Closed in both directions from Greenwater to Enumclaw due to water over the roadway.
SR 169 – All lanes of SR 169 are closed near Cedar Grove in Maple Valley because of water over the roadway.
SR 169 at Green River Bridge – WSDOT engineers closed the SR 169 Kummer Bridge over the Green River near Black Diamond on Tuesday, Nov. 18 for up to six months. Engineers say heavy rains forced movement of the soil that support the southern bridge piers. If the soil continues sliding, it may not support the bridge piers. The Roberts Road detour route has been hit by a mudslide. All drivers must use Kent-Kangley Road.
Kittitas County
I-90 Snoqualmie Pass – Remains closed from milepost 33 near North Bend to milepost 106 near Ellensburg and will not open today.
U.S. 97 Blewett Pass – Closed from Ellensburg to U.S. 970 due to water, heavy snow and mudslides and debris over the roadway. Crews are working to make repairs as flood waters recede.
SR 10 – Remains closed from SR 970 near Cle Elum to Ellensburg due to mud slides and water over the roadway.
SR 970 – Closed from I-90 to the intersection of US 97 due to water over the roadway and roadway erosion.
Lewis county
I-5, Closed in both directions between U.S. 12 junction and Grand Mound (milepost 68-88)
Both directions of I-5 is closed due to severe flooding over the roadway. There is no detour available at this time. The Interstate may be closed through the weekend. WSDOT advises drivers to not travel through this area if possible.
Restriction:
Lewis County Commissioners signed a declaration this morning advising it is necessary to close Salzer Valley, Centralia Alpha, Coal Creek, and South Scheuber Roads to all mutli-unit truck through traffic, excluding emergency vehicles. This closure will remain in effect until interstate 5 is re-opened to traffic through Lewis County. This declaration will be enforced immediately.
I-5, Exit 88 at Grand Mound and Exit 68 south of Napavine are restricted to LOCAL TRAFFIC ONLY. Traffic exiting I-5 southbound at Exit 88 and traffic exiting I-5 northbound at Exit 68 is restricted to local traffic only. Commercial trucks are prohibited with the exception of trucks delivering disaster relief supplies or perishable goods to the Chehalis and Centralia communities. The Washington State Patrol is enforcing the restriction.
SR 6, Both directions between I-5 and Old State Route 603 (mileposts 51.37-49.08)
Both directions of SR 6 closed due to flooding.
SR 6, Both directions at the Raymond East Bridge (milepost 3.5)
Both directions of SR 6 closed due to flooding.
SR 6, Closed to passenger vehicles in both directions due to flooding between Pe Ell and Doty (milepost 29.8-33)
Both directions of SR 6 are closed to passenger vehicles. Trucks have limited access.
SR 7, Closed both directions between Morton and the Lewis County Line (milepost 1-16)
Both directions of SR 7 is closed between Morton and the Lewis County Line for flooding over the roadway.
SR 508, Closed in both directions between Cinebar and Morton (mileposts 20-32)
Both directions of SR 508 has been closed due to severe flooding and water over the roadway. There is no ETA for reopening yet.
U.S. 12, Closed in both directions from Mossyrock to east of the Rimrock Tunnel (mileposts 86-171)
Both directions of US 12 has been closed due to several mud slides and severe flooding over the roadway.
Pacific County
SR 105, Closed in both directions at Camenzind Road north of Raymond (milepost 3) Both directions of SR 105 is closed due to a mudslide.
SR 105, Closed in both directions between the North River Bridge and the Shoalwater Indian Reservation (milepost 14 vicinity) Both directions of SR 105 is closed for the night due to a mudslide.
SR 401, Closed in both directions near Naselle due to fallen tree and water over roadway (milepost 11-12) Both directions of SR 401 is closed due to tree and water over roadway.
U.S. 101, Both directions at the Bone River Bridge (milepost 46) Both directions on U.S. 101 is closed due to a mudslide. One lane open to emergency vehicles only.
U.S. 101, Both directions at Carruthers Slough Bridge (milepost 51) Both directions on U.S. 101 is closed due to a mudslide. One lane open to emergency vehicles only.
U.S. 101, Both directions near Smith Creek Bridge (milepost 64-65)
Snohomish County
SR 203 between Fall City and Monroe – SR 203 is closed from Fall City to the Tolt River, and from NE 55th St. to NE Carnation Farm Road. SR 203 is also closed between Duvall and Monroe. Drivers can use SR 203 between the Tolt River and NE 55th St. and between NE Carnation Farm Road and Duvall. Drivers in Carnation, Duvall and Fall City cannot travel west, but they can travel within their respective cities.
SR 530 between I-5 and Smokey Point Blvd. is closed. This means drivers cannot exit to SR 530. If you are traveling to or from Arlington, please use SR 531 and take SR 9 into Arlington. You cannot leave Arlington headed east on SR 530 or north on SR 9. The river will not crest for some time.
SR 530 – A mudslide blocks all lanes of SR 530 about one mile west of Sauk Valley Road in the Darrington area.
U.S. 2 west of Skykomish – Closed in both directions due to water over the roadway.
U.S. 2 over Stevens Pass – Closed in both directions from Scenic to Leavenworth due to avalanche danger and unstable weather conditions. Crews will reassess the situation at noon.
Skagit, Whatcom County
I-5
Three separate rockslides have occurred within a two-mile stretch of I-5 south of Bellingham. The latest slide came down at 2 a.m. Thursday just south of the Fairhaven exit. The slide dropped a 10-ton boulder on to the northbound right lane and shoulder of I-5. Crews used a front-loader to push the boulder off the road. An additional 150 to 200 tons of material came down along with the boulder and remains piled behind the jersey barrier and catch area next to I-5. Crews are keeping the right lane of I-5 closed between mileposts 247 and 248 as a precaution and because of some debris in the road. A slide also came down at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7, near the same area. That slide sent six to eight dump truck loads of mud, rock and other debris onto the shoulder of I-5, along with six trees. Crews moved the material into the ditch along the shoulder of I-5. One lane of I-5 was briefly closed to traffic while crews completed cleanup work.
SR 542, Mount Baker Highway
On SR 542, a fourth slide came down just east of the intersection with Valley Highway (SR 9) near Deming at milepost 26. The slide is completely blocking both lanes, and crews estimate it to be at least 200 feet long. Slides also occurred yesterday near Galena, a few miles west of the Mount Baker Ski area at milepost 53, and near Excelsior, about five miles east of Glacier at milepost 40. A smaller slide also covered the road just west of Glacier at milepost 35.
SR 9
SR 9 remains closed to traffic between Mount Baker Highway and Wickersham. Water continues to run across the road in several locations, with some areas seeing water as deep as 2.5 feet.
SR 20 – Multiple mudslides have spilled across SR 20 near Concrete, tearing out concrete barrier, guardrail, and power poles and leaving a half-mile of mud and debris in their wake. The road is closed indefinitely from Concrete (milepost 90) to Jackman Creek Road (milepost 91). WSDOT will move as quickly as possible to hire a contractor and clear the road. Work cannot begin until the slope stabilizes, which could take several days. It is too early to determine the extent of the damage, but the work could take a week or more to complete.
SR 530 – A mudslide is blocking the highway south of Rockport. We also have the highway closed in Snohomish County at the Lincoln Bridge due to water over the roadway.
Wahkiakum County
I-5, Both directions at Exit 22 (milepost 22) Both exit ramps are closed at Dike Road due to water over the roadway. On-ramps are currently open.
SR 411, Both directions between Solomon Road and Cook Ferry Road (mileposts 4-9)Both directions of SR 411 is closed due to mudslides and water over roadway.
SR 503, Closed both directions near Speelyai Creek Bridge (mileposts 32-32.5) Both directions of SR 503 closed due to flooding over the roadway.
SR 504 near Kid Valley area (mileposts 17-20)Two separate slides are blocking one lane at mp 17 and mp 20. Crews are working to clear the slide and traffic is getting through.
Yakima County
U.S. 12 White Pass – Remains closed due to several slides and water over the roadway. WSDOT crews are actively working to assess the situation and clear the roadway and the culverts under the roadway.
SR 410 – Remains closed due to falling and hazardous trees.
Read the WSDOT blog http://wsdotblog.blogspot.com/ for more WSDOT stories, see photos from around the state on Fickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot and videos on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/wsdot.
====
DISCLAIMER: The Washington State Department of Transportation provides this information as a public service. It is based on currently available information. Motorists are reminded that weather and road conditions can change rapidly and should plan accordingly. For current traveler information, please visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic or call 511.(/i>
