Date:
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Contact:
Meagan McFadden, WSDOT Communications, (509) 577-1618 (Yakima)
Alissa Bateman, WSDOT Communications, (360) 600-2081 (Vancouver)
WHITE PASS – WSDOT maintenance, construction and geological experts agree that the most unstable rocks located on the slope above the highway have been removed and the highway is safe to have one lane open by 8 p.m. tonight. The traveling public will be directed through the area by flaggers.
The long reach and powerful jack hammering of the 140 ft. tall crane excavator nicknamed Rockzilla, brought down four hundred more cubic yards of rocks as big as VW beetles on Saturday. Add that to the 200 cubic yards (20 dump truck loads) of rocks already in the work zone and you get enough rocks to fill 60 dump trucks. Six dump trucks took ten loads each to two different stock pile sites on opposite sides of the pass. "That crane mounted jackhammer really brings down the rocks quickly and safely," said Don Wagner, Regional Administrator of the Southwest Region of WSDOT. “But we had to haul away all of that rock to clear the roadway before we could open the highway to the public and that took all day Sunday,” he said.
On Friday WSDOT announced that it could take until early next week to make US 12 safe for traffic, but the work to clear the threat of more rocks hitting the road went well.
Wednesday afternoon, during a routine 20-minute construction closure, a huge rock was loosened, but wouldn’t break loose as planned. Efforts to bring the rock down safely took longer than anticipated, and WSDOT geotechnical engineers determined the slope above the roadway wasn’t stable enough for drivers to safely pass through the work zone.
The 13-mile section of US 12, from the White Pass summit to the junction of SR 123, remained closed from Wednesday through Sunday. WSDOT did not reopen the highway until WSDOT geotechnical engineers considered the area safe for traffic.
Three lowboy semi-trailers carried "Rockzilla" and its 140-foot arm to White Pass on Friday. The crane was assembled very early Saturday morning at the site along US 12 where unstable rocks the size of VW beetles needed to come down from the hillside. Crews were able to get most of the rock removal work done by 7 p.m. Saturday. The remaining small, loose rocks were brought down by men hanging from climbing ropes, kicking and prying the rocks loose.
There was no detour around the work zone, so there were some inconveniences to drivers who had to travel much farther and take considerably more time to get to there destinations. "We didn't like to make drivers go out of their way but we wanted to be certain that no one was in danger," said Marc Fish, the WSDOT Geological Technical Engineer evaluating the slope.
WSDOT communicated with local businesses and crews installed detour information signs at the US 12/16th Ave. interchange in Yakima, at the US 12/SR 410 junction near Naches, along US 12 and along I-5 in Southwest Washington.
Eastbound drivers seeking to enter Mt. Rainier National Park were able to do so from the Stevens Canyon Road entrance, just north of US 12 on SR 123. Westbound drivers were able to reach popular recreation sites up to and including the White Pass summit area. SR 123 is still closed from Stevens Canyon Road to the SR 410 junction due to a washout.
WSDOT and the contractor have been working on stabilizing the rock slope on US 12 near White Pass since the second week in July. This work consists of bringing large rocks down from the slope onto the highway and then loading them into trucks and hauling them away from the site.
To learn more about this project, please visit the project Web page at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/US12/WhitePassSlopeStabilization
What can drivers do?
Give ‘em a Brake: We do our best to make work zones safe for the workers and drivers by making work zones visible with orange signs, cones, barrels, electronic messages, amber strobe lights and reflective clothing. Drivers need to do their part to help keep everyone safe on our highways by staying sober, awake, alert, keeping both hands on the wheel, eyes on the roadway, obeying speed limits and directions from flaggers. Please "Give 'em a Brake" by going slow through the construction zone. Remember, more motorists are injured in work zone collisions than construction workers.
Know before you go: visit WSDOT’s Web site
• Visit : www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/ before you leave
• E-mail alerts - Sign up for one of several e-mail alert lists to get notice of upcoming construction closures delivered to your inbox
Know on the road
• 5-1-1 - This driver information phone line provides traffic, incident and closure information
• Overhead and roadside electronic signs note emergency and incident alerts
• Highway advisory radio - Yellow signs with flashing lights alert drivers to tune into radio frequencies airing construction updates
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