Landslide debris removal begins on SR530

Near OSO, Wash. — Work began Friday to clear about a mile of Oso landslide debris from State Route 530.

The Washington State Department of Transportation estimates 90,000 cubic yards of debris will need to be hauled away before the roadway can be rebuilt.

The state hopes to reopen the road in October.

There is much more to the debris removal process than scooping up muck.

Cleanup is deliberate, even delicate.

A devastated community is watching closely.

"This is sacred ground to them and we understand that," said WSDOT cultural resources specialist Kevin Bartoy.

State officials believe the bodies of the two missing victims are nowhere near the road, but they're checking for human remains just in case.

An archeologist is assigned to each piece of equipment to watch every scoop and direct the pace of the work.

Another worker watches as the debris goes into the dump truck.

A third is stationed at the dump site.

Archeologists expect to find items important to landslide victims.

Already, since the slide, they've found love letters.

"And that's why we're doing it, to give people who lost everything that little memento back that means everything to them," Bartoy said.

The state plans to select a contractor for the roughly $40 million rebuild of the road by the end of the month.

Part of the new roadway is expected to be elevated because the landslide changed the topography of the site and increased the risk of flooding.

KIRO