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Naches, WA -
A WSDOT spokeswoman says crews reduced the 47-mile closure of State Route 410 to 4-miles on Tuesday. The closure runs from mile post 104 to mile post 108.
The earth continued shifting Monday at the site of the weekend landslide that obliterated a section of highway, rerouted a river and prompted evacuations in central Washington state.
"It's still moving, and it may be moving for the next couple more days," state Transportation Department spokeswoman Meagan McFadden said.
The landslide early Sunday shoved a quarter-mile of State Route 410 into the Naches River, forcing the river to find a new course and causing some flooding. Nearly 80 people were evacuated.
Five houses were damaged by the slide, and about 25 more were damaged by flooding. Parts of the roadway were buried under up to 30 feet of rock and debris.
The Transportation Department said Monday it had set up local access for residents to return to grab belongings and secure their homes, but officials asked them to continue staying elsewhere for now.
It was unclear what caused the landslide, McFadden said, but she was quick to knock down a rumor that it was the result of digging at a nearby rock quarry.
"That's not the case as far as we can see," she said. The ground that moved was extremely dry and gave way along a curved section of unstable slope - what's known as a rotational landslide.
State Geologist Dave Norman says they don't know what caused the landslide or how long it will take to clean-up the mess. He says their next step is to gather data, make new maps of the area and take soil samples from the outside of the slide. Once the slide is stable he says they'll start to take samples closer to the center.
The department says its near-term goal will be to restore a road route along the Naches - possibly following Nile Loop Road - within the next three to five days, Jim Hall, director of the Yakima Valley Office of Emergency Management, told The Herald-Republic newspaper.
That can't be done until the new river channel is rerouted away from Nile Loop Road, which is currently under as much as 3 feet of water.
It may take several more weeks to months to restore the highway. On Monday a 47-mile section of Highway 410 remained closed between Mount Rainier National Park's Lake Tipsoo and the junction with U.S. 12, five miles west of Naches. A 90-mile detour follows SR 123 over Cayuse Pass.
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A landslide has shut down a 47 mile stretch of State Route 410 between Mount Rainier National Park's Lake Tipsoo and the junction with US 12, five miles west of Naches, according to the Department of Transportation.
One home was heavily damaged by the slide but there are no reports of injuries. The slide did disrupt the flow of the Naches River forcing about 60 people from the small community of Nile to evacuate because of flooding concerns. Some homes have water damage already.
The state Department of Transportation estimates the slide is about a half-mile long, covering the highway with at least 20 feet of dirt and rocks about 10 miles west of Naches. Department photos also show large sections of road carried down to the river.
Transportation Department crews still don't know exactly what caused the slide. They started monitoring the area Saturday afternoon when the hillside started moving. Some people also noticed their land heaving before the hillside gave way around 6 a.m. Sunday.
DETOUR ROUTES
US 12 White Pass - is open with no restrictions.
I-90 Snoqualmie Pass - is open with two lanes available westbound and one lane available eastbound between Cle Elum and Easton. WSDOT traffic engineers were already predicting 20 percent higher than normal traffic volumes on Sunday. WSDOT is encouraging eastbound motorists to leave early or plan for an extra hour of travel time in the afternoon.
SR 123 Cayuse Pass - is currently closed. Construction crews have closed both directions of SR 123 from Stevens Canyon Road to the junction of SR 410 for culvert repairs. WSDOT plans to reopen SR 123 Cayuse Pass sometime tonight.
The earth continued shifting Monday at the site of the weekend landslide that obliterated a section of highway, rerouted a river and prompted evacuations in central Washington state.
"It's still moving, and it may be moving for the next couple more days," state Transportation Department spokeswoman Meagan McFadden said.
The landslide early Sunday shoved a quarter-mile of State Route 410 into the Naches River, forcing the river to find a new course and causing some flooding. Nearly 80 people were evacuated.
Five houses were damaged by the slide, and about 25 more were damaged by flooding. Parts of the roadway were buried under up to 30 feet of rock and debris.
The Transportation Department said Monday it had set up local access for residents to return to grab belongings and secure their homes, but officials asked them to continue staying elsewhere for now.
It was unclear what caused the landslide, McFadden said, but she was quick to knock down a rumor that it was the result of digging at a nearby rock quarry.
"That's not the case as far as we can see," she said. The ground that moved was extremely dry and gave way along a curved section of unstable slope - what's known as a rotational landslide.
State Geologist Dave Norman says they don't know what caused the landslide or how long it will take to clean-up the mess. He says their next step is to gather data, make new maps of the area and take soil samples from the outside of the slide. Once the slide is stable he says they'll start to take samples closer to the center.
The department says its near-term goal will be to restore a road route along the Naches - possibly following Nile Loop Road - within the next three to five days, Jim Hall, director of the Yakima Valley Office of Emergency Management, told The Herald-Republic newspaper.
That can't be done until the new river channel is rerouted away from Nile Loop Road, which is currently under as much as 3 feet of water.
It may take several more weeks to months to restore the highway. On Monday a 47-mile section of Highway 410 remained closed between Mount Rainier National Park's Lake Tipsoo and the junction with U.S. 12, five miles west of Naches. A 90-mile detour follows SR 123 over Cayuse Pass.
----------------------------------------------------------
A landslide has shut down a 47 mile stretch of State Route 410 between Mount Rainier National Park's Lake Tipsoo and the junction with US 12, five miles west of Naches, according to the Department of Transportation.
One home was heavily damaged by the slide but there are no reports of injuries. The slide did disrupt the flow of the Naches River forcing about 60 people from the small community of Nile to evacuate because of flooding concerns. Some homes have water damage already.
The state Department of Transportation estimates the slide is about a half-mile long, covering the highway with at least 20 feet of dirt and rocks about 10 miles west of Naches. Department photos also show large sections of road carried down to the river.
Transportation Department crews still don't know exactly what caused the slide. They started monitoring the area Saturday afternoon when the hillside started moving. Some people also noticed their land heaving before the hillside gave way around 6 a.m. Sunday.
DETOUR ROUTES
US 12 White Pass - is open with no restrictions.
I-90 Snoqualmie Pass - is open with two lanes available westbound and one lane available eastbound between Cle Elum and Easton. WSDOT traffic engineers were already predicting 20 percent higher than normal traffic volumes on Sunday. WSDOT is encouraging eastbound motorists to leave early or plan for an extra hour of travel time in the afternoon.
SR 123 Cayuse Pass - is currently closed. Construction crews have closed both directions of SR 123 from Stevens Canyon Road to the junction of SR 410 for culvert repairs. WSDOT plans to reopen SR 123 Cayuse Pass sometime tonight.
