PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Officials expect a section of Highway 30 to remain closed into the weekend after ten truckloads worth of debris slid onto the road Tuesday night.
The Oregon Department of Transportation closed the road near milepost 74, which is about halfway between Astoria and Clatskanie. Officials say crews are working to get one lane reopened, but they don’t expect it to open before Friday.
While Highway 30 is closed, drivers are urged to use either Highway 47 or Highway 202. There are length restrictions for commercial vehicles on Highway 47, however.
Heavy rain and wind caused the hillside to give way and slammed debris into a semi-truck that was driving along the road.
ODOT told KOIN 6 News that the driver was not harmed.
Crews started to clear the area of debris Wednesday morning and moved the semi-truck. Along with that, ODOT said its geologist determined crews need to remove “two-car sized sections of the hillside” because they will eventually fall.
When the area is fully cleared of debris, safety engineers and a geologist will do a final inspection to make sure it’s safe to reopen.