Crews begin clearing Highway 530 mudslide debris near Oso
May 9, 2014, 5:10 PM | Updated: May 10, 2014, 8:57 am
Crews with bulldozers and other heavy equipment on Friday began clearing the massive field of mud covering Highway 530 near Oso.
The work is expected to take between one and three months to clear the estimated 90,000 cubic yards of debris covering the roadway since the devastating slide that killed 43, according to Bart Treece, spokesman with the Washington Department of Transportation.
“You think of CenturyLink Field as 10,000 cubic yards of concrete, so that’s nine times the amount,” Treece said.
WSDOT recently awarded a $3.4 million contract to clear the material from the roadway to IMCO Construction of Ferndale Washington. The contractor will work around the clock to clear the debris as quickly as possible while keeping a close eye out for possible human remains and personal effects.
“We’re being very sensitive. We’ve got spotters and some local people from the community nearby who had volunteered for the search effort and now they’re working to make sure there’s nothing in that material that shouldn’t go in a disposal site,” Treece said.
WSDOT is currently seeking a separate contractor from among four finalists to rebuild Highway 530, with a decision expected by the end of the month. The roadway will have to be elevated in parts because of the significant shift in the topography of the area and movement of the Stillaguamish River caused by the slide. Completion is scheduled for early October.
