Date:  Friday, October 16, 2009

Contact: Meagan McFadden, WSDOT Communications, (509) 654-0697 (Yakima)
Amanda Sullivan, WSDOT Communications, (509) 899-5708 (Ellensburg)

YAKIMA –Five days after a massive landslide blocked SR 410 with millions of cubic yards of debris, WSDOT and contractor crews continue work to build a temporary emergency access road for local residents of the Nile Valley and have accelerated plans for a new, more durable detour route around the SR 410 landslide.

“The current emergency route we are constructing on Nile Loop Road is only a temporary solution for connecting Nile Valley residents to vital services,” said Don Whitehouse, WSDOT Regional Administrator. “We anticipate this emergency route will only last a couple of weeks because of heavy rain and possible flooding. When it begins deteriorating, local residents will virtually be stranded.”

WSDOT and Selland Construction, Inc., of Wenatchee, plan to build a new roadway that can withstand harsh winter weather conditions and the rise and fall of the new river channel. It will follow the west edge of the Nile Valley floor and connect the Rattlesnake Creek Bridge with the east junction of Nile Loop Road and SR 410. WSDOT is working with Yakima County, multiple jurisdictions, and property owners under emergency procedures to accelerate roadway plans.

Because of the sensitivity of the slide area and WSDOT’s need to work as fast as possible to build this new road, only local traffic with identification will be allowed to use the emergency route on Nile Loop Road. WSDOT will continue to monitor the current emergency route to keep it operable as long as possible.

The four mile section of SR 410 between mileposts 104 and 108 is closed to all traffic.

WSDOT offers a number of ways for people to get up-to-date information:                   

• Call the emergency hotline (509) 577-1635
• Sign-up for e-mail updates regarding the SR 410 Nile Valley landslide and closure
• View photos of the landslide on SR 410 at Flickr
• Watch video taken of the landslide on YouTube 

                                           ###

WSDOT keeps people, businesses and the economy moving by operating and improving the state's transportation systems. To learn more about what we're doing, go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/news for pictures, videos, news and blogs. Real time traffic information is available at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic or by dialing 5-1-1.

< Go Back