Date:  Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Contact: Mike Westbay, WSDOT Communciations Manager, (509) 728-4712 (Yakima)
Traffic Management Center, (206) 440-4788 (Seattle)
Trooper Cliff Pratt, WSP, (425) 864-5621

HYAK – Eastbound Interstate 90 closed to all traffic at North Bend earlier today. The road is now open. WSDOT crews closed the road at 2 a.m. after a large boulder fell off the hillside, bounced over the concrete jersey barrier and came to rest in the eastbound lanes. The boulder did not hit any vehicles, but a commercial truck struck the boulder.

WSDOT’s geotechnical experts climbed to the top of the hill to assess the situation and determined the road was safe to reopen at 7:15 a.m., Tuesday, May 12.

“We only opened the road when our experts told us it was safe for drivers,” said Paula Hammond, Washington State Secretary of Transportation. “Safety is our number one concern.”

An initial review of the site shows it is not on WSDOT’s list of unstable slopes. A more likely cause is the freeze thaw cycle in the area. Forecasters predict up to three inches of snow today in the area. It is snowing right now.

“This can happen,” said Don Whitehouse, WSDOT Regional Administrator. “When you build a road through a mountain pass, rocks will fall. Our job is to make the area as safe as possible for drivers.”

Between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. geotechnical experts hiked up the rocky slope, found two loose boulders, and pushed those onto the roadway below. Crews cleared the debris and reopened the road to all traffic. 

Photos of the boulder are available on Flickr.

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