A massive mudslide occurred on Saturday in Snohomish County, about 30 miles north northeast of Seattle, east of Arlington in the town of Oso. It has killed 8 people and at least 12 are still missing. 30 homes were destroyed and a mile long stretch of HIghway 530 is buried under approximately 20 feet of mud and debris. Rescuers initially heard voices of survivors, but have not heard any voices since Saturday night. My heart goes out to the families of the victims. We will have more details as they become available. [Source: See the full story along with photos and video at The Seattle Times. Image: DAVE NORMAN / WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES via Seattle Times]
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Devil’s Slide Tunnel Construction Kicks Off
On September 17, CALTRANS and Kiewit Pacific held a "tunnel excavation celebration" to kick off the start of tunnel construction on The Devil’s Slide Tunnels project on California State Route 1 (the Pacific Coast Highway) in San Mateo County between the town of Montara to the south and the city of Pacifica to the north. The project involves the creation of a separated two-lane road, one lane in each direction. This road will pass through twin tunnels, over twin bridges and connect with an existing non-separated two-lane road at each end. The new road will be approximately 6,500 feet long, made up of the roughly 4,000-foot twin tunnels, the 1,500-foot north approach road (which includes the 1000-foot parallel bridges), and the 1,000-foot south approach road. Upon completion, the new road will bypass geologically unstable portions of existing Route 1, sections of roadway subject to lengthy closures, high maintenance costs over the years, and risk of permanent failure. Thanks Geology.com for the heads up. [Read on for more background, photos, maps, and movies!] (Images by CALTRANS)