A mudslide forced closure of Orville Road East Tuesday night, impacting through-traffic from Kapowsin to SR 161 in the Graham area, according to Pierce County Road Operations. The affected section of Orville Road runs from the intersection with Orting-Kapowsin Highway and the Kapowsin Highway (304th Street East) to State Route 161 just south of Eatonville. The road runs southerly along Kapowsin Lake and along the banks of Ohop lake until it reaches SR 161 just north of Eatonville.

Pierce County Road Operations received a call at 8:50 p.m. that a tree was blocking Orville Road. Crews investigated and found that trees and about 20 cubic yards of mud and vegetation had slid down a hillside onto the roadway. The road was closed at 10:10 p.m.

A house adjacent to the slide and is threatened by two of the trees that are overhanging the power lines. Crews knocked on the house’s front door last night but no one was home. It appears the house might be used for weekend or recreational use.

The County analyzed the upland slope to determine stability before any cleanup operations began. It hoped to open the road later today.