Natural slide closes Interstate 90 at North Bend
January 24, 2012
A natural slide at milepost 58 of eastbound Interstate 90 has the highway closed at milepost 34 in east North Bend.
According to the Washington State Department of Transportation’s website, eastbound traffic is also being stopped at mileposts 47 and 56.
Westbound I-90 is closed at milepost 61
The website stated that since this is not a man-made slide, WSDOT has not set an estimated reopening time.
As of 7:53 p.m. Jan. 24, it’s snowing at the pass with gusty winds west of the summit.
Tomato truck spins, slide hits car on I-90, nobody hurt
January 18, 2012
NEW – 5:35 p.m. Jan. 18, 2011
They looked big but they turned out small.
Two accidents occurred the afternoon of Jan. 18 on Interstate 90 marring what was otherwise an uneventful day of traffic amid heavy snow on the interstate.
The first accident occurred at about1:36 p.m. at milepost 34 in North Bend. A truck carrying tomatoes jacknifed in the westbound lanes and crashed against a guardrail.
Photo courtesy Washington State Patrol.
“It was a significant collision. It tore everything apart,” said Trooper Julie Startup, spokeswoman for the WSP. Read more
Areas in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest permanently closed to target shooting
May 11, 2011
Parts of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest along Interstate 90 and Middle Fork Road 56 have been permanently closed to target shooters. The area along the highway had been temporarily closed about two years ago.
The ban does not affect hunting activites.
Target shooting in recreational areas and associated environmental damage prompted the move, Snoqualmie District Ranger Jim Franzel said. “Every summer, we had two or three near misses.”
Five hurt, one killed in single-car rollover crash near Snoqualmie Pass
August 10, 2010
UPDATED — 11:28 p.m. Aug. 10, 2010
Speeding contributed to a single-car rollover crash on Interstate 90 near Snoqualmie Pass that killed one person Monday afternoon, according to Washington State Patrol. Five men were injured in the Aug. 9 crash, and the driver, a 47-year-old man, died at the scene, WSP Trooper Christina Martin said.
Two men were flown by helicopter to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and were in critical condition.
Quick response to fertilizer spill reduces environmental impact
June 30, 2010
Eastside Fire & Rescue responded June 22 to a report of a liquid fertilizer spill just north of Interstate 90’s Exit 34 in North Bend.
A 250-gallon container of liquid fertilizer spilled after it fell from a flatbed truck that was getting off the highway, according to a news release from EFR.
The Washington State Patrol, Department of Ecology and the Department of Transportation were called to the scene of the spill.
Ecology crews cleaned up the roadway, and the trucking company, Bio Gro, hired a cleanup company to vacuum up the majority of the fertilizer, which collected in a storm drain, according to Larry Altose, a spokesman for DOE.
Bio Gro was issued only a warning by the DOE, because it has not had another spill in Washington in the past five years, and it cooperated with the response effort, Altose said. Fertilizer can be especially harmful to river ecosystems.
Nutrients from fertilizer can consume oxygen in the water, limiting the amount of life it can support, Altose said.
This spill was contained, though.
“So far, there’s not a lot of environmental impact,” he said.
If it were raining, the rain could have carried the fertilizer into a waterway.
Even fertilizing lawns can harm rivers if directions are not carefully followed, Altose said.
Fertilizer not absorbed by plants and grass can be carried into rivers and creeks by surface water.
“From a thousand other lawns, that starts to add up,” Altose said.
Dan Catchpole: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.
Washington State Department of Transportation starts work on I-90 project
April 15, 2010
NEW — 10:00 a.m. April 15, 2010
Work to improve travel for high-occupancy vehicles on Interstate 90 has started, which will mean some lane closures at night until the project is finished.
