WASHINGTON, USA — State Route 504 near Coldwater Lake will remain closed until further notice following a debris slide that caused "catastrophic" damage to the Spirit Lake Outlet Bridge leading to the Johnston Ridge Observatory.
The debris slide occurred within the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument on May 14. A hillside adjacent to SR 504 fell about 2,000 feet, covering the road with rock, mud, ice and water, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
WSDOT does not know when the road will reopen. Engineers have to examine the hill above the road, as well as debris below, before figuring out next steps.
“Additional safety analysis is needed, but due to the ongoing geological instability in the area, it’s too soon to tell when we’ll be able to safely do that work,” said Brad Clark, WSDOT Southwest Region Maintenance Manager. “We appreciate everyone’s patience during this emergency.”
The cause of the slide has not been officially determined. However, initial assessments show unseasonably hot temperatures caused snowpack to melt quickly, which oversaturated soil and caused a high volume of water to release downhill.
Tamara Greenwell, a WSDOT spokesperson, said searchers looked downstream for any cars or people who may have been washed away, but they did not find any evidence of anyone being killed or injured.
At least 11 people and a dog spent the night on the other side of the slide, staying up at Johnston Ridge Observatory. King County Search and Rescue utilized its helicopters to extract the people.
"All of a sudden I didn't see a road," said Robert Cornejo Garcia.
Garcia was heading home to Puyallup after playing a soccer game in Oregon when he decided to make a quick side trip to Mount St. Helens. He estimates he drove up to the slide area a couple of minutes after the slide happened.
"There was just huge trees coming down, loud noises," said Cornejo Garcia.
Ryan Crandall and his pet husky, Nalu, were grateful to be rescued out of the area.
Crandall went to the mountain to take overnight pictures of the Milky Way. It was his first trip to Mount St. Helens. Driving up, all he could think about was the historic 1980 eruption.
"I’m thinking how crazy would it be to have seen a natural disaster, seeing an explosion, and I end up being part of a natural disaster,," said Crandall.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Aerials: Landslide near Mount St. Helens