Semi Truck Collision with Fallen Rock on SR-14
By Cole Goodwin
Large fallen rocks and a semi-truck collided on Washington SR-14 on Wednesday morning around 4 a.m on January 5th, 2022. The collision occurred just between Rowena Tunnel 2 and the Lyle Cherry Orchard trailhead.
At 9 a.m. one lane of SR-14 was open, and flaggers were present to direct the flow of traffic.
"We are constantly monitoring our slopes statewide, trying to mitigate any falling rock as much as possible," said a WSDOT Spokesperson.
How WSDOT monitors rockfall in the Gorge.
Geotechnical engineers monitor the slopes of hills along SR-14.
"What they do is, they go out and monitor all of our hills and our slopes. One of the tools that they use is called a Lidar system, so it allows for us to see a 3D rendering of the hillside, and it also allows for us to see the top of the hill side," said WSDOT spokesperson. "So that we can see if there's an actual movement starting at the top of those areas versus, if there's a rock tumbling down the side of the hill. The equipment, gives them more or less, like a bird's eye view of what is happening, so that we can determine, if we need to get crews out there now andaddress the situation or is this something we just need to keep an eye on."
But even with these monitoring systems, rockfall is still a part of the winter landscape.
Several areas along SR-14 are known to suffer from rockfall issues, especially in the winter. The process of ice forming and then thawing on and inside the rocks can cause them to loosen and come loose.
This phenomenon can pose a serious risk to drivers.
In the interest of safety, Washington State Department of Transportation and State Officials wanted to urge drivers to exercise caution while driving on SR-14 this winter.
"Because we can't address every slope 24/7. We'd like to remind travelers to be mindful when they're traveling through areas where there is falling rock and to watch for that," said a WSDOT spokesperson. "But again, we are always monitoring all of our, slopes doing the best we can to mitigate falling rock whenever possible."
