Travel Alert: Rock Blasting Resumes on I-90 East of Snoqualmie Pass

UPDATE | September 4th Rock blasting closure planned at 6:30 pm Sept 9 & 10 for approx 1 hour. All lanes closed between MP 63 & 70.

Have travel plans that take you over Snoqualmie Pass between now and the end of October?  If so, it’s time to plan for some rock blasting traffic delays. 

The Washington State Department of Transportation and Atkinson Construction are scheduled to conduct the first controlled rock blast on Wednesday night, September 9th at 6:30 pm. For the safety of the travelling public, crews will temporarily close eastbound I-90 near Price Creek (MP63) and westbound near Easton (MP 70).

This closure will last up to an hour. After the crews blast, they will remove debris from the roadway and shoulders, inspect the slopes for stability and safety and reopen all lane of I-90. Rock blasting closures are expected to take place at night, one hour before sunset and last about an hour. Contractor crews plan to conduct between five and eight blasts over the next two months.

Rock blasting is part of the next phase of the I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East project to widen a six-mile stretch of highway from four to six lanes and improve reliability and safety between the Cabin Creek interchange and the West Easton interchange. This multi-year project is funded by the 2015 Connecting Washington funding package and is scheduled to be complete in 2025.

Travelers are encouraged to use the following tools to plan their trips over I-90. Notifications will be posted every Thursday to indicate the following week’s rock blasting closure schedule.

Rock Blasting on I-90 Courtesy WSDOT Flickr

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