I-90 avalanche bridge opens on Snoqualmie Pass

By David Guest • August 15, 2016 3:00 pm
The first of two avalanche bridges is open to westbound and eastbound traffic on I-90 east of Snoqualmie Pass. Credit: Washington State DOT
The first of two avalanche bridges is open to westbound and eastbound traffic on I-90 east of Snoqualmie Pass. Credit: Washington State DOT

 

All directions of traffic are now using the new avalanche bridge on Interstate 90 over Snoqualmie Pass.

The Washington State Department of Transportation and the contractor shifted the westbound lanes onto the new bridge just after 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 11, after shifting

The first of two avalanche bridges is open to westbound and eastbound traffic on I-90 east of Snoqualmie Pass. Credit: Washington State DOT
The first of two avalanche bridges is open to westbound and eastbound traffic on I-90 east of Snoqualmie Pass. Credit: Washington State DOT

the eastbound lanes on Monday night, Aug. 8. This is another major milestone for the I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East project, which is widening a 15-mile stretch of I-90 from Hyak to Easton.

The new 1,200-foot avalanche bridge will accommodate all lanes of traffic for the next two years, while the second avalanche bridge is being constructed, which is scheduled to begin later this summer. Once complete in 2018, traffic will be shifted into its final configuration – the westbound lanes will be shifted onto a second bridge and the eastbound lanes will remain on the current bridge.

Due to the width restrictions of the new bridge, the shoulders are smaller and there is a reduced speed limit across the bridge.

– Washington State DOT