Snoqualmie Pass to remain closed until Wednesday morning
SNOQUALMIE PASS -- State Department of Transportation crews shut down Interstate 90 at Snoqualmie pass Tuesday due to high avalanche danger and snow slides, and officials say the pass will remain closed until early Wednesday morning.
The interstate is closed eastbound at milepost 34 near North Bend and westbound at milepost 106 near Ellensburg.
Officials said a tanker truck and two other vehicles were caught in the slides, but no one was injured.
"I came around the corner and the avalanche had already happened and caught a Ford Explorer in its path," said Tom Streeter, the driver of the tanker truck. "I basically avoided the Explorer and got the snow instead."
He said the snow was up to his door by the time the truck came to a rest, and he measured the depth at 9 feet.
His truck was eventually freed and he was able to go to back to Cle Elum.
"I should have slept in this morning like my wife said I should," Streeter said.
Heavy snow continued to fall at the pass through the afternoon as DOT crews struggled to clear the slides and the quickly accumulating snow. Forecasts called for an additional 12 to 24 inches of new snow by Tuesday night.
State DOT spokesman Mike Westbay said tired crews will return early Wednesday to continue avalanche control work, and plow crews will continue to clear snow from the road as it falls.
Westbay said that by late Tuesday night, crews had already removed more than one million cubic yards of snow.
Once the snow is cleared Wednesday morning from the avalanche work, safety officials will decide whether the road is safe for vehicle traffic.
The interstate is closed eastbound at milepost 34 near North Bend and westbound at milepost 106 near Ellensburg.
Officials said a tanker truck and two other vehicles were caught in the slides, but no one was injured.
"I came around the corner and the avalanche had already happened and caught a Ford Explorer in its path," said Tom Streeter, the driver of the tanker truck. "I basically avoided the Explorer and got the snow instead."
He said the snow was up to his door by the time the truck came to a rest, and he measured the depth at 9 feet.
His truck was eventually freed and he was able to go to back to Cle Elum.
"I should have slept in this morning like my wife said I should," Streeter said.
Heavy snow continued to fall at the pass through the afternoon as DOT crews struggled to clear the slides and the quickly accumulating snow. Forecasts called for an additional 12 to 24 inches of new snow by Tuesday night.
State DOT spokesman Mike Westbay said tired crews will return early Wednesday to continue avalanche control work, and plow crews will continue to clear snow from the road as it falls.
Westbay said that by late Tuesday night, crews had already removed more than one million cubic yards of snow.
Once the snow is cleared Wednesday morning from the avalanche work, safety officials will decide whether the road is safe for vehicle traffic.