Eastbound I-90 to open Thursday afternoon; Westbound opening still undetermined

NORTH BEND, Wash. -- After being closed for more than 36 hours, Interstate 90 over Snoqualmie Pass will open to eastbound traffic around 4 p.m. Thursday.

According to Washington State Department of Transportation officials, eastbound lanes of Snoqualmie Pass will open in the afternoon after dozens of downed trees and other debris are cleared from the roadway.

"Conditions on I-90 have improved enough to allow our maintenance crews to start clean-up efforts," WSDOT officials said. "This includes clearing dozens of trees that fell onto Eastbound lanes as well as clearing ice, snow and other debris."

Westbound lanes will be evaluated later in the evening, officials said.



I-90 is closed eastbound at milepost 34 near North Bend. The interstate is closed westbound at milepost 106 near Ellensburg, milepost 84 near Cle Elum and Milepost 70 near Easton.

Westbound lanes were closed from Ellensburg to North Bend Tuesday night and through Wednesday. The eastbound lanes were closed by early Wednesday morning. More than 25,000 cars and trucks use the economic lifeline every day.

WSDOT said it knows the closure is a headache for truckers but the nasty winter weather has turned Snoqualmie Pass into an ice rink.



“Anytime you close down a major corridor it’s going to have a major impact on everyone,” said Justin Fujioka with WSDOT.

Currently, drivers are headed to US 2 Stevens Pass or US 12 White Pass.

This story is breaking and will be updated as more information is available.