Date:  Monday, November 10, 2008

Contact: Dustin Terpening, WSDOT communications, 360-757-5997
Bronlea Mishler, WSDOT communications, 360-757-5947
Ric Willand, WSDOT maintenance, 360-305-1653

Crews closed road earlier today because slope appeared to be moving

BELLINGHAM – A second rockslide crashed onto SR 11 (Chuckanut Drive) blocking both lanes at milepost 13.3, near the Whatcom/Skagit county line, at approximately 1:30 p.m. Monday. Crews had closed the road earlier that morning because the slope appeared to be unstable.

“There are at least a dozen rocks the size of a car,” WSDOT maintenance supervisor Ric Willand said Monday. “We haven’t seen anything like this in a long time.”

Willand said the slide covers both lanes. The debris area is approximately 30 feet wide and 10 to 12 feet deep. More debris above the current slide area also appears unstable, and crews said it may come down on the road.

A geotechnical engineer will inspect the slide area to determine if stabilization work will be needed.

Willand was the first to notice the unstable area on Sunday evening, Nov. 9, when he found a rock laying in the middle of the road. Willand and his team decided that it would be best to close that section of road on Monday morning for the safety of crews and drivers. Turns out Willand made the right decision.

This slide is approximately two miles north of a rockslide that closed the road Friday, Nov. 7. Crews will keep the road closed indefinitely as engineers inspect the new slide area.

See photos of the Nov. 10 slide at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot/sets/72157608820308824/
See photos and video of the Nov. 7 slide at www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot/sets/72157608811311668/.  

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