I-82 Closure WSDOT Update: When & How Will it Finally be Fixed?

In an interview with WSDOT this morning, we found out they have a plan and things should be mostly open sooner than you might think.

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WSDOT Give Timetable to I-82 Closure Repairs

Anyone who has tried to get between Yakima and the Tri-Cities over the last week or so has had a hard time. At first, just the eastbound lanes were closed on Washington I-82 after a sudden sinkhole developed that made the lanes of the highway unsafe. The problem spread causing the closer of the westbound lanes soon after while they were trying early repairs. WSDOT then had to close both lanes of I-82 around 6:30 Friday morning and detoured the westbound traffic to the Yakima Valley Highway. The reopening date for the eastbound lanes was scheduled for February 24. WSDOT identified the cause of the sinkhole as a collapsed and corroded culvert after a comprehensive inspection by the Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance and engineering teams.

Emergency Designation Gives WSDOT Only 30 Days

In an interview this morning, Meagan Lott with WSDOT said they expect one direction of I-82 to be fixed by this Friday and the other to be repaired by the following Friday. The plan is to have both eastbound and westbound lanes repaired and allow full-speed traffic in both lanes by the end of March 1, 2024. The bad news is that this is just a temporary fix and WSDOT will have to come back to the area to fix the issue. For the temporary fix, WSDOT will fill the bottom of the hole with large coarse rock and gravel allowing for irrigation under the road until it can be fixed correctly. Then they will build a temporary pavement roadway above the rocks that will look and drive like normal. Meagan said in the interview that after gathering the plan and tools to correct the issue correctly, crews will go back to I-82 and finally fix it for good within 3 or 4 months. I am sure this news destroys the over/under bets among friends on when this huge job would be completed. Glad to see everything will be back to normal soon.