WSDOT reopens White Pass route after major repairs
Dec 22, 2015, 5:17 PM | Updated: May 7, 2016, 11:43 pm
WSDOT spent two weeks around the clock repairing portions of U.S. Route 12 over White Pass after a series of storms washed out portions of the road, and created slides that blocked the path. (WSDOT)
(WSDOT)
The Washington State Department of Transportation has reopened U.S. Route 12 over White Pass following two weeks of repairs.
The roadway was damaged from a series of storms that flooded the road, caused slides, and washed parts of it away, preventing any traffic from crossing over the pass since Dec. 9.
More than 1,000 loads were sent up to repair the route. Crews worked around the clock to get the job done and stabilize the road.
While some of the roadway has been repaired, other portions of the route remain reduced to a single lane. WSDOT notes that delays and slow travel can be expected through those areas. Semi-trucks, and trucks with trailer combinations, are temporarily prohibited.
The remaining single-lane portions of the route will be repaired after WSDOT hires contractors for the job next spring. Those stretches are expected to be fully repaired by the end of next summer.
The damaged sections of roadway were difficult to reach, according to WSDOT, as many routes to the sites had only one lane, and the washed out portions were located between a mountainside and a ravine.
