Detour Route Now Open

Emergency detour route now open to all drivers
Naches,WASH-
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATIONOn Oct. 20 we lifted the 'residents only' restriction on the emergency detour route around the landslide. The route is now open to all drivers.

Drivers should be aware that the current emergency route, which detours around a four-mile section of SR 410 between mileposts 104 and 108, is a rough, gravel-surfaced road. We could close the roadway for the safety of drivers at anytime if landslide activity or an increase in river flows is detected. While keeping the roadway open is important for residents and businesses along the SR 410 corridor, we will not compromise motorist safety.

Drivers should check for updates before using the emergency route. The most reliable access to the restaurants, homes, cabins, and stores along the SR 410 corridor is from the west over Chinook Pass. We will try to keep Chinook Pass open until heavy snows create unavoidable avalanche danger.

For the safety of drivers and pedestrians, the four-mile section of SR 410 between mileposts 104 and 108 remains closed due to the instability of the landslide.


WSDOT and contractor crews continue work on temporary route and build channel to divert river water
The emergency route on Nile Loop Road is just the first of several steps to re-establish this transportation corridor around the landslide. The river and weather continues to pose challenges, and we estimate that the emergency repairs on Nile Loop Road will only last several weeks before the roadway is damaged by the river.

We understand the urgency to re-establish a roadway before winter. We continue to survey, design, and work with property owners to get permission to build a winter-durable SR 410 detour. The new detour will likely follow the west edge of the Nile Valley floor and connect the Rattlesnake Creek Bridge with the east junction of Nile Loop Road and SR 410.

We're working with our contractor, Selland Construction, Inc., of Wenatchee to build a wider channel that will reduce the velocity of the river near the emergency route on Nile Loop Road. Crews are placing large boulders and trees along side Nile Loop Road to slow erosion long enough for WSDOT to build a temporary road that will withstand the winter months and the rise and fall of the river.