Flooding closes 20 miles of Interstate 5
Flooding water from the Chehalis River cover railroad tracks, local roads and Interstate 5, top, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, in Chehalis, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) ToolsRelated ContentBy Valerie Hurst KATU News and Associated PressCHEHALIS, Wash. — Interstate 5 at Chehalis could be closed until Monday, state transportation officials said Thursday morning. Calling it deja vu, Washington Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond said the flooding is similar to the December 2007 flood that caused a four-day blockage on the main north-south route in Western Washington. All three major east-west routes across the Cascade Range also were closed by avalanches and the threat of more slides. Hammond said when the Chehalis River crests Thursday night, officials expect water to be 10 feet deep over the highway. After the water starts falling, crews plan to use pumps and breach a levy to help the water drain out. Hammond said about 10,000 trucks a day travel I-5 and the financial impact of the closure on freight movement is about $4 million a day. That's made worse by the closure of the three major Cascade passes. Highway officials hoped to reopen one main route across the mountains sometime Thursday — likely Interstate 90 across Snoqualmie Pass. "The most unfortunate part of this is all three passes are closed," state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond said. "We're in a place until we can open Snoqualmie Pass, which is our first best hope, we're in a real bind in this state." Don Wagner, a WSDOT spokesman, said the only way for people to get from Portland to Seattle is to take a flight. There is no detour around the closure, and even Amtrak passenger service is shut down. Those needing to get to eastern Washington can still head east through the Columbia River Gorge and head up Highway 97 toward Yakima, however, he said. In response to the closure, Horizon Air said Thursday it was offering a special flood fare of $119 each way between Seattle and Portland. The fare is being offered through Saturday. The company said it was putting its spare aircraft to work for extra flights between the cities to meet the high demand. |
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