The westbound lanes of State Route 18 will remain closed until at least Wednesday, after a second slide brought down approximately 1,500 cubic yards of mud, rocks and debris across all westbound lanes of the highway Thursday evening.
The Washington state Department of Transportation will keep the road closed until it is safe for workers and drivers. The transportation department has a crew posted near eastbound SR 18 in case the hillside begins to move, threatening eastbound lanes.
The state will post updated information about the slide and plans to stabilize the slope on the What’s Happening Now page.
The highway is closed at State Route 167. Drivers are being detoured onto West Valley Highway and to Peasley Canyon Road to access I-5. Signed detours are in place and drivers will see electronic message signs on SR 18, SR 167 and I-90 advising them of the closure. Westbound SR 18 drivers may also want to consider taking SR 516 (Kent-Kangley Road) to I-5.
The slide occurred as heavy rains moved through Western Washington. However, the Green River and the Cedar River are remaining well within their banks Friday.
Friday, debris was still covering all lanes of westbound SR 18, trees need to be removed from the hillside and other repairs are necessary before state crews can safely reopen the highway.
With more rain on the way, crews will have to wait for signs that the hillside has stabilized before it is safe for crews to work in the area, according to the transportation department.
“This area has a history of slides and the hillside is very steep. The area where crews need to stage and work is narrow and close to the highway,” said WSDOT Regional Administrator Lorena Eng. “We will do everything we can to get the highway open quickly because we understand how important this route is – especially to freight interests. But we also need to make sure we don’t compromise the safety of drivers or our crews in the process.”
SR 18 is a major route for commuters and freight haulers. Drivers should expect to see heavier traffic on nearby local roads as well as SR 167, SR 516 and I-405. WSDOT traffic engineers have taken several steps to keep traffic moving in the area. They include:
• retimed signals in the area to keep traffic moving on alternate routes
• expanded hours of traffic management center to better manage and react to unplanned situations that can create congestion or delays
• extra communications staff to keep drivers up to date
• four portable message signs to keep drivers informed of traffic detours
• clearing all construction closures from the detour routes or other routes which may see increased congestion due to this slide.
