Date:  Thursday, November 13, 2008

Contact: Randy Giles, WSDOT I-90 Project Director, (509) 577-1879 (Yakima)
Amy Danberg, I-90 Project Communications, (206) 962-9635 (cell)

SNOQUALMIE PASS – WSDOT has completed its geotechnical drilling work for the 2008 season just as winter weather begins reaching the roadway. For the past two months, WSDOT briefly slowed traffic on I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass as helicopters delivered special drill equipment to crews collecting rock core samples on the slopes above the highway.

Earlier this summer, crews also conducted exploratory drill work on the highway and in Keechelus Lake. Drilling an average of 28 feet per day, the crews collected rock core samples from 25 bore holes as deep as 150 feet. Summer drilling totaled 2,100 feet - three and a half times the height of Seattle’s Space Needle.

“The 2008 geotechnical work was very successful,” said Randy Giles I-90 Project Director. “We gathered valuable data that will help move the I-90 Project one step closer to construction.”

Using the samples of rock gathered over the past season from deep in the mountain, design engineers can safely plan construction of new slopes cut into the rock above the interstate. WSDOT will also use drilling results to determine the size and depth of bridge foundations in and around Keechelus Lake.

The I-90 Project received a formal Record of Decision (ROD) by the Federal Highway Administration in October, giving the project the green light to begin construction activities next spring. WSDOT will improve I-90 by providing a safer, more efficient six-lane freeway from Hyak to Easton. Plans for the project include straightening roadway curves, replacing old pavement, and reducing rock fall and avalanche hazards. WSDOT will also construct wildlife crossings under I-90 to help keep wildlife off of the highway and enhance wetlands and habitats throughout the corridor. Construction is scheduled to begin on the first five miles of the project in 2009. For more information, visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I90/SnoqualmiePassEast/HyaktoKeechelusDam/


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Drivers can now get current traffic and weather information by dialing 5-1-1 from most phones. This new traveler information system builds upon the highly successful Washington State Highway hotline that managed 4.6 million calls each year. Callers can also use 5-1-1 to get statewide construction, mountain pass conditions, and state ferry system information, as well as toll free numbers for passenger rail and airlines. TTY users can call 1-800-833-6388.

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