Date:
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Contact:
Mike Westbay, WSDOT Communications, (509) 577-1617 (Yakima/east side of White Pass)
Meagan McFadden, WSDOT Communications, (509) 654-0697 (Snoqualmie Pass)
Al Gilson, WSDOT Communications, 509-324-6015 (Spokane)
Jeff Adamson, WSDOT Communications (509) 667-2815 (Stevens Pass)
Sylvia Ross, WSDOT Communications, (360) 905-2058 (Vancouver/west side of White Pass)
Travis Phelps, WSDOT Communications, (206) 440-4788 (Seattle)
Kelly Stowe, WSDOT Communications, (253) 536-6228 (Tacoma)
Alice Fiman, WSDOT Communications, (360) 705-7080 (Olympia)
OLYMPIA – The break is over.
After a very short break in the weather, WSDOT is again fighting snow, wind and avalanche dangers in many parts of the state.
Today, crews expect additional closures of Snoqualmie Pass for avalanche control and snow removal, and hope to get US 2 Stevens Pass and US 12 White Pass open today. Crews are still watching certain areas in the Spokane area and on all mountain pass highways.
Forecasters call for more snow in the mountains, and wind across most areas of the state through Friday. Drivers should expect severe winter driving conditions and delays.
“We just keep fighting these extraordinary events,” said Chris Christopher, WSDOT State Maintenance Engineer. “We are moving crews all over the state, sending more people and trucks to the Palouse and mountain pass areas.
“It’s been a tough, tough winter and it’s not over yet,” Christopher said.
Christopher said WSDOT continues to manage its resources and is moving people, equipment and materials around the state to areas where it is needed most.
CLOSED
Avalanche control work on I-90 Snoqualmie Pass will cause temporary road closures throughout the day and crews anticipate more control work and closures through Friday. Overnight, large accumulations of snow on the shoulders of I-90 in locations near Lake Keechelus required crews to use graders and snow blowers move the snow from the westbound lanes to the eastbound lanes, then from the eastbound lanes over the bank. Drivers should expect delays later this afternoon for avalanche control work. Forecasters predict another six to eight inches of snow today and possibly another foot of snow by Friday.
US 2 over Stevens Pass and US 12 over White Pass are still closed at this hour.
On US 2 Stevens Pass, crew closed the pass as extremely high winds have caused white-out conditions. A power outage at the summit has disabled most WSDOT highways signs, cameras and highway advisory radio messages on Stevens Pass. Traffic is stopped eastbound at milepost 58 (Scenic) and westbound at milepost 78 (Rayrock). Crews hope to open the highway by noon.
US 12 crews are clearing multiple snow slides covering the highway. The US 12 White Pass closure extends from mile post 136 (near Packwood) to mile post 185 (junction with SR 410 near Naches), and is expected to last throughout the day as crews are working to remove the snow from both ends by blowing and plowing. Several vehicles were stopped within the US 12 closure area, unable to proceed due to snow drifts blocking the roadway. No injuries were reported. WSDOT and Washington State Patrol crews have escorted all vehicles in the slide area to the White Pass Ski area.
SPOKANE: In the areas south and west of Spokane, high winds and visibility problems have led WSDOT to close several sections of highway. The most recent road conditions area available at: wwww.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/trafficalerts/. The areas near Davenport and Colfax have been pounded. Although snowfall has stopped, winds in the rural areas are still blowing snow across roadways creating serious visibility concerns. The Spokane area received close to 40 inches of snow in January, the fourth highest January snowfall in recorded history. The third-highest January snowfall came back in 1954.
An avalanche across both lanes of State Route 20 led WSDOT to close the gate again just east of Newhalem early this morning. The slide, found by WSDOT snow plow crews around 1:30 a.m., is about 20 feet high and roughly 200 feet long. It is now raining in the area, raising the potential for additional slides. Crews will wait until this afternoon to assess whether it is safe to clear the slide and open the road to traffic. This is the second time the gate has been closed in the last two weeks. The gate was just opened Monday, Feb. 4, after being closed for six days.
See WSDOT’s Flickr site for winter photos from I-90 and sites near Spokane at: www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot
Read the Winter Avalanche Story and leave a comment on our blog at: www.wsdotblog.blogspot.com
What can drivers do? If you must go out, please remember:
- On ice and snow, take it slow
- Pay extra attention to bridges, curves and shady spots
- Stay back from snow clearing equipment
- Allow more time to travel
- Keep a safe driving distance from the vehicle in front of you
- Turn off the cruise control
- At www.wsdot.wa.gov/winter, drivers can find a list of winter emergency kit items, more safe driving tips and information on mountain pass travel advisories.
Know before you go:
- WSDOT offers several ways to get up-to-date traffic and construction information from our Web site at www.wsdot.wa.gov before you leave your home or office
- At www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes. drivers can look at mountain pass conditions throughout the state
- At www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/trafficalerts, the color-coded map shows statewide traffic conditions, including construction delays and highway incidents
- WSDOT offers weather information and road temperatures at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/weather
- 511 - This driver information phone line provides real-time traffic, incident and closure information. Have a passenger call 511 for current traffic and weather information. TTY users can call 1-800-833-6388. Out of state callers can use 1-800-695-ROAD (7623).
- Drivers with Web service on their cellular phones and PDAs can access the Seattle area traffic flow map, ferry schedules, mountain pass reports at www.wsdot.wa.gov/small
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