Date:  Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Contact: Alice Fiman, WSDOT Communications, (360) 789-4035 (Olympia)
Alissa Bateman, WSDOT Communications, (360) 759-1336 (Vancouver)

OLYMPIA – Over the past 36 hours, WSDOT crews have responded to approximately 60 blocked or damaged highways scattered across Western Washington where a combination of mudslides, water over the roadway, downed trees and power lines have forced road closures.
 
Since this morning at least 45 of these locations have been cleared and the roadways opened. However, we could still see additional flooding, mud slides and road damage in the days ahead. Hundreds of WSDOT crews are working throughout the state at any given time.

What Can Drivers Do?
WSDOT urges drivers not to travel if they don’t have to. Several road closures are still in place statewide. Motorists should check their route before they go at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/News/Update. If you must travel, be prepared for water over the roadway; unexpected debris on the roadway and downed power lines. Updated information about specific routes and closures is available on our Web site at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ or via our 511 phone line.

Highway updates
I-5 between Grand Mound and Chehalis is still closed and will remain closed through Thursday and possibly longer. Currently, this section of highway is still under eight feet of water in places. As a result, crews cannot yet assess whether or not there is damage to the highway.

Shorter I-5 detour route now open to trucks carrying disaster relief supplies and perishable goods.

Our primary I-5 detour route is on interstates through the Tri-Cities and our secondary detour routes are two-lane mountain highways through Yakima. These routes add hundreds of miles to trips and require travel over mountain passes.

Working with the Washington State Patrol and local communities, we have started to allow trucks that are carrying emergency supplies and extremely perishable goods to use SR 7, a much shorter alternate route, on a case-by-case basis.

This two-lane route can’t carry much additional traffic, so we ask drivers to stay off SR 12 in the Chehalis area so we can keep emergency response, local and truck traffic moving. We estimate that this I-5 closure is costing haulers approximately $4 million per day.

When the freeway is open, more than 54,000 vehicles travel this stretch of I-5 daily and almost 10,000 of these vehicles are trucks. We are working to provide updates to truckers and shippers on a regular basis.

• US 12 out of Aberdeen is still closed and will remain closed today. Numerous slides and trees continue to block the roadway. We have a detour route in place, and continue work on SR 8 to help improve the flow of that detour.
• SR 6 and other routes to Washington’s southwest coastal areas are still closed, effectively isolating that part of the state. We are waiting for the water to recede to determine the extent of damage, which could include bridge damage. We won’t know until the waters recede.
• A lane closure on eastbound SR 522 near Woodinville and the complete closure of SR 96 just south of Snohomish mean a tough evening commute for people in east Snohomish County.
• Crews have close one lane of SR 203 near Duvall due to a mud slide that has compromise the southbound lane. Crews will work until sundown and will return tomorrow morning to replace material and reopen the road as soon as it is safe. Flaggers will remain on scene through the night to alternate traffic.

< Back to News Home