Officials have reopened two northbound lane of Interstate 5 just north of Woodland tonight after a landslide Wednesday, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
The first lane opened shortly after 6 p.m., providing relief to motorists and truck drivers stymied by the blockage. A second lane was opened about 9:15 p.m., according to WSDOT.
On I-5, geotechnical crews assessed the hillside north of Woodland this morning and determined that it was stable. Crews headed to the top of the slope, cutting down trees and excavating, while others cleared portions of the highway.
There was no established detour to get around the landslide, but people were directed off the highway at the Woodland exit. Motorists were asked to avoid the area.
“(It’s) one of the worst places to have a closure,” Washington State Department of Transportation Spokesman Bart Treece said while at the scene today.
Before the I-5 lane re-opened, motorists who hoped to bypass the I-5 closure via U.S. Highway 30 in Oregon were told to take an additional detour because of a closure near the St. John’s Bridge, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. ODOT reported Highway 30 closed in both directions at Milepost 7 at about 11:22 a.m. because of a natural gas leak. Motorists were told to use Bridge Avenue as a detour.
Boulders, trees and dirt slid onto the highway at about 3 p.m. Wednesday, shutting down northbound traffic on the busy stretch of road. No injuries were reported. Due to the instability of the slope and dark and rainy conditions, the northbound lanes of the freeway remained closed that night.
“Safety is our number-one priority,” WSDOT’s Southwest Region Administrator Kris Strickler said in a news release. “We appreciate the public’s patience while we work to restore safe travel on this vital stretch of roadway.”
Gov. Jay Inslee arrived at the scene at about 10:45 a.m., where he was briefed on the situation before talking with reporters.
“The message to folks out there is safety has got to be number one,” Inslee said. “We’ve still got rain, we still have flooding. Be safe … take care of your neighbors, take care of yourself — that has to be priority number one. It certainly is for the state of Washington.”
Inslee said he’s a “little tired” of having to make emergency declarations. The governor declared a state of emergency on Wednesday after hard rains swept through Western Washington the past few days, causing roadways to wash away and motorists to get stuck in deep water.
“We’ve had one of the worst fire seasons ever, floods, drought … when these things happen, it brings out the best in Washingtonians. You see neighbors helping neighbors,” he said.
Emergency personnel ask those looking for alternative routes not to call 911.
The American Red Cross had opened a shelter in Woodland for stranded motorists. The facility is at Grace Community Church, 1311 Lewis River Road. Woodland High School at 1500 Dike Access Road and Promise Church at 101 Hillshire Drive also opened shelters. The Red Cross and local residents mobilized to help provide people food. The Walmart at 1486 Dike Access Road opened its parking to stranded motorists, including truck parking.
PeaceHealth encountered its own storm-related issues.
Caregivers who live in Clark County but work at PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in Longview had difficulty getting to work, said hospital spokesman Randy Querin.
Hospital officials worked with the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office on possible solutions, such as allowing hospital emergency workers to use Green Mountain Road, which was only open to residential traffic.
PeaceHealth officials also worked with Amtrak to allow hospital employees to take the northbound train from Clark County to Cowlitz County.
