PORT TOWNSEND — Consecutive landslides on Washington Street shut down a small portion of the street just above downtown.
Brian Reid, Port Townsend Streets/Stormwater/Sewer Operations manager, said Friday that a city road crew was called to Washington Street at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday to a “small-ish slide,” one yard of debris, that was cleaned up in about an hour.
Then dispatch called the city’s after hours crew about 7:15 p.m. for a large slide in the same location and about 25 feet of the street was barricaded off by 9 p.m., Reid said.
“Then (Friday morning) we started removal at 8 (a.m.) and hauled off approximately 35 yards of debris. Our trucks hold five yards so it was seven truckloads. It took most of the morning,” he said.
Small bits of dirt continued coming down from the hillside so ecology blocks — also known as Jersey barriers — were set up and the street was open again by 1:45 p.m.
The cause of the slides wasn’t known as of Friday.
Reid said since he arrived 16 years ago, small bits of dirt have come down into the bike lane in that area but none were of the amount seen Thursday.
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Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached at brian.gawley@soundpublishing.com.
