A debris slide on Monday morning near Milepost 38 on state Highway 503 blocked both lanes of traffic. Washington State Department of Transportation crews were on-site evaluating the slope, which was still moving, early Monday afternoon. (WSDOT)
A debris slide blocked both directions of state Highway 503 late Monday morning near Yale.
At about 10:30 a.m., the slide of rocks and trees near Milepost 38 on Highway 503/Lewis River Road initially blocked one lane, but an hour later, both lanes were covered.
The Washington State Department of Transportation, Washington State Patrol and Cowlitz County Public Utility District responded to the incident.
WSDOT spokeswoman Celeste Dimichina said the agency is pointing to heavy rains as the cause of the slide. She added that the slope is still unstable and that there’s no indication of when the road will be cleared.
“It’s still moving,” WSDOT spokesman Bart Treece said Monday afternoon, adding that the agency’s geotechnical engineers evaluated the slope.
Treece said an alternative route was available, but it’s weight-restricted, so large trucks might have some issues.
“We’re keeping an eye on (the slide) overnight,” Treece said.
Monday marked the second time a slide has blocked a major roadway in Southwest Washington in recent weeks.
Less than a month ago, a rain-caused mudslide just north of Woodland blocked the entire northbound span of Interstate 5.
“There’s quite a few slopes we’re monitoring; this time of year is our heavy season,” said Glenn Schneider, WSDOT southwest region maintenance manager.
“I can’t quantify if it’s more than usual.”
The region has seen significantly more rain than usual this winter. Since the start of the year, 16.82 inches of rain have fallen on Vancouver — 5.9 inches more than normal up to this point in time.
At 10.38 inches of rain, last month was the third-rainiest February on record in Vancouver.
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