SNOQUALMIE PASS — The Washington state Transportation Department says westbound traffic was moving along Interstate 90 at Snoqualmie Pass on Tuesday after rocks rolled down a slope earlier in the day and were hit by three vehicles.
Spokeswoman Meagan Lott says one westbound lane reopened late Tuesday afternoon. She says a geotechnical expert said the area was sufficiently stable with the addition of a concrete barrier to deflect any new falling rocks. Officials hoped to reopen the second westbound lane within a few hours.
“We want to make sure no more rocks come down,” Lott said.
The rocks that came down before 5 a.m. Tuesday were hit by two trucks and an SUV.
A 40-year-old man in the SUV was treated for a minor injury at Kittitas Valley Healthcare hospital in Ellensburg. A 37-year-old man in the SUV was checked at the hospital as a precaution, Trooper Darren Wright said.
The westbound lanes were closed at Easton. Eastbound traffic was not affected.
The rocks came off a slope that had been blasted and bolted in an attempt to improve stability, the state Transportation Department said. The spot is six miles east of the summit.
The rockslide came down west of the old snow shed that was removed in April, spokeswoman Meagan Lott said. It’s in the same area where there has been a lot of blasting in recent years and where bolts have been drilled to secure the rock face. It’s part of a project to improve the interstate over the mountain pass, especially for winter travel.
It’s impossible to tell if the rockslide was caused by the blasting and drilling or a consequence of heavy rain in recent days in the area known for instability, she said.
One truck and the SUV were totaled, the patrol said. The other truck was able to drive away.
The “good-sized” rocks had been pushed to the side of the road and the damaged vehicles had been removed by 9 a.m. But the westbound lanes remained closed for the geotechnical check.
“It’s scary to have something big in the road when you come around a corner,” Wright said.
The landslide danger remains high in western Washington because of the heavy rain that fell Sunday and Monday in a storm. Landslides closed highways in several places, and a landslide at Hoquiam knocked three houses off their foundations.
