Date:
Monday, February 06, 2006
Contact:
Mark Ettesvold, WSDOT Communications, (509) 945-7702
South Central Region Area 1 maintenance crews were challenged Saturday, February 4 when a 140-foot pine tree fell on the coffee kiosk at the westbound I-90 Indian John rest area between exits 85 and 80. A sudden, powerful windstorm with 60 mile per hour gusts at 8:00 a.m. pushed the tree onto the kiosk; thankfully, the women staffing the booth were shaken but uninjured. WSDOT maintenance crews attempted to remove the tree in sections by hand, but the green tree was too heavy for efficient removal with the on-scene Genie truck. The rest area was closed, and crews suspended operations until Sunday morning.
Enter Rocky Lanphere. A winter-work veteran with a quarter-century of experience working side-by-side with WSDOT crews, Rocky stepped up and made the Indian John restoration happen. He and a half-dozen WSDOT workers used a boom truck from his company, Cresto and Lanphere Construction, to make quick work of the tree on Sunday. With the heavier equipment, workers were able to remove the tree in ten-foot sections; the final, base segment of the tree was over 25 feet long and nearly three feet in diameter. Cresto and Lanphere Construction is headquartered close by in Easton. According to Al Minerich, Area 1 maintenance supervisor, “their fast response is the reason we were able to reopen the rest area on Sunday afternoon.”
The coffee kiosk sustained damage to its roof and two hip rafters. It is expected to be repaired in the near future at an initial estimated cost of $5,000-7,000. Inspections will be made on the remaining trees in the rest area that have similar root systems to the February 4 fallen tree. WSDOT allows non-profit organizations to participate in our rest area Free Coffee Program. This program provides a welcome service to the traveling public and allows non-profit organizations to share information about their organization while accepting donations for free coffee and light refreshments. Groups must sign up for participation and obtain a permit in advance. Groups at the westbound Indian John rest area will operate out of a temporary structure while the original kiosk is being repaired.
< Back to News Home