Flooding, Mudslides Close I-90 & Other Roads In Kittitas County

Heavy rains and flooding have impacted a number of roads in Kittitas County to start the week.

The biggest issue was created by a mudslide that closed the eastbound lanes of Interstate-90 near North Bend for several hours early Tuesday.

Officials with the Washington State Department of Transportation say the freeway was closed at around midnight and did not reopen until around 6:15 a.m.

To the east, standing water, mud, and debris have led to the closure of State Route 10 between its junction with State Route 970 and the town of Thorp. While to the west, State Route 906 has been closed due to similar issues from Hyak Drive to Yellowstone Trail Road.

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Flooding has also affected many local roads in the communities of Elk Meadows, Teanaway Valley, and Thorp, prompting the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office to place piles of sand and bags at several fire stations, including Stations 11, 73, and 75.

The Sheriff's Office says there is water over the roadway on Elk Meadows 1 and Elk Meadows 2 is impassable beyond the 300 block of Wapiti Drive because of standing water and flooding.

In addition, Salmon La Sac Road has been closed to the north of White Fir Drive due to rising floodwaters, while Lambert Road remains open but is being closely monitored.

Sheriff's officials say crews are still in the process of assessing conditions on other roads in the county and are recommending people postpone or limited travel whenever possible until conditions improve.

The flooding has been caused by several inches of rain which has fallen in short order due to an atmospheric river which officials with the National Weather Service (NWS) say will remain over the region until late Thursday.

A Flood Watch has been issued by NWS which covers most of Central and North Central Washington and is not currently scheduled to expire until 4 p.m. on Thursday.