Date:
Friday, February 15, 2008
Contact:
Greg Phipps, WSDOT Communications, 206-437-6314 (Seattle)
NEWHALEM - WSDOT crews reopened State Route 20 between Newhalem and Diablo Friday after clearing the final snow slide that had been blocking the highway. Crews used two bulldozers and a front-end loader to clear the snow and open access to the Seattle City Light town of Diablo. The town had been isolated by multiple snow slides for more than a week.
WSDOT announced earlier on Friday that the highway would remain closed through the weekend, but the snow in final slide, which was 15 feet deep and 300 feet wide, was softer than expected.
"They [crews] went through it just like butter," WSDOT Maintenance Supervisor Clint Terwilliger said.
Terwilliger said Seattle City Light crews helped make the work go faster by clearing snow with a loader on their end of the slide.
Two lanes of the highway are open, except for a short one-lane section that will be widened starting on Monday with a snowblower. WSDOT will have a snow plow stationed on SR 20 in case more snow removal is needed over the weekend.
Although the road is open, only residents of Diablo and employees of Seattle City Light have access to the road.
To see more pictures of the work WSDOT crews have done over the last several weeks in the passes, visit www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot.
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