Date:
Monday, October 30, 2006
Contact:
Lauren Chudecke, WSDOT Communications, 206.437.6314
Mike Westbay, WSDOT Communications Manager, 509.728.4712
SEATTLE – Sunday afternoon unexpected squalls of strong winds, heavy snow and hail left more than a dozen vehicles stranded sideways, in the ditch, or stuck in the median along I-90 Snoqualmie Pass. The Washington State Patrol (WSP), working in cooperation with the WSDOT, closed Snoqualmie Pass at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
The closure points are at locations where drivers can make choices to wait out the closure or turn around and visit the nearby communities until the road is cleared and all lanes are open. Westbound traffic is closed at Exit 70/Easton and eastbound traffic was closed at Exit 47 until 5:40 p.m. when Seattle area WSDOT maintenance crews arrived at the pass and moved the closure to 34/S.E. Edgewick Road. These additional crews are now helping clear the pass.
Currently, the 5-1-1 Traveler Information System is down. WSDOT technical staff is working to fix the problem. Drivers with web service on their cell phone can access I-90 pass updates at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/small by clicking on the "mountain pass reports" link. Information is also available on our website at: http://wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/snoqualmie/.
When the eastbound closure is lifted, drivers will be restricted to one or two lanes. This restriction will help limit the number of vehicles on the pass to allow room for deicer trucks and plows to clear the highway. When the road is back to bare and wet conditions, the lane restrictions will be lifted.
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