A large debris flow on Sunday, May 14, at state Route 504 covered the highway at milepost 49 with rock, mud, ice and water.
The slide caused significant damage to the Spirit Lake Outlet Bridge and highway, effectively blocking access to Johnston Ridge Observatory on the north side of the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.
In a Tweet from Sunday, June 18, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Southwest region gave the first sense of a timeline for the road’s repair. A 30-day emergency contract will be in place by the end of June for debris removal and slope stabilization to restore administrative access to Johnston Ridge, the Tweet stated.
On the day of the slide, 12 people and a dog were left stranded at the observatory and were flown out. Their vehicles remain at the ridge and this contract will allow the vehicles to be removed, WSDOT stated.
“No public access is expected this summer,” WSDOT stated.
The day following the slide, geotechnical engineers determined the slide area was unstable and posed potential safety concerns. Out of an abundance of caution, according to a news release last week, the highway was closed at milepost 43 and remained closed until further notice.
On Saturday, June 17, access to Coldwater Lake and the Hummocks Trail was restored.
The Mount St. Helens Science and Learning Center at Coldwater is also open to the public every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and, in other news from last week, USGS has successfully restored a water sensor that was damaged by the slide.
“Local agencies are working together to address the impacts of the slide and reopen the highway to visitors,” the news release stated.
For more information, head to www.fs.usda.gov/giffordpinchot.
