More Blasting Means More Delay On I 90

Crews are blasting rock closer to Interstate 90 east of Snoqualmie Pass, which could result in a closure longer than one hour on Thursday night.

At 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 23, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and contractor crews will close I-90 in both directions from Gold Creek (milepost 56) to the Price Creek Sno Park (milepost 61).

“Crews are going to be blasting material that is a lot closer to the roadway than past blasts,” said Will Smith, WSDOT project engineer. ”Depending on the amount of material that comes down, it may take us a little longer to get the road open. We are asking drivers to make sure they give themselves more than an hour to get to their destination on Thursday night.”

On Wednesday, June 22, the closure from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. is not expected to exceed more than one hour as crews clear debris from blasts earlier this week.

Rock blasting is part of the $551 million I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East – Hyak to Keechelus Dam project to widen a five-mile stretch of the highway from four to six lanes and improve reliability and safety. The project is scheduled to be complete in fall 2017.