PORTLAND, Ore.β A two-football-field-long landslide still threatens drivers on I-84 near Ontario, about 17 miles northwest of the Oregon border.
The Oregon Department of Transportation announced on March 28 that road crews are working to stop the slide, which is about 200 yards long, 100 yards wide, and 30 feet deep.
Thomas Strandberg, a spokesman for ODOT, said that the slide is moving about an inch per day toward the eastbound side of I-84 near Wheel Gulch Road. Strandberg said the slide could cover all highway lanes below if the slide collapsed.
βIf the hillside suddenly gave way and the material slid down to the interstate, it could bury the eastbound and possibly the westbound travel lanes,β Strandberg said. βThat is why we are monitoring it regularly and are prepared to close lanes, if needed.β
Before contractors could do more work to prevent landslides in the area, road crews made emergency repairs along the highway’s shoulder to avoid a disaster.
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ODOT says it is still getting more information about the crescent-shaped slide, but it thinks it happened because of the way the soil was and because of gravity.
βWe originally discovered the slide in early February after a blanket of snow covering the hillside melted off,β ODOT stated on social media. βIt likely occurred sometime earlier this winter.β
If the slide comes down onto I-84, it could close one or all highway lanes for an undetermined amount of time. Drivers are told to be very careful when going through the dangerous part of the road.
A Twitter post related to this news is given below-
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