SPOKANE — After days of shutdown, both eastbound and westbound lanes of I-90 near Medical Lake are back open.
The change by WSDOT will relieve traffic rerouted through Cheney, but the firefight near town is far from over.
WSDOT spokesperson Ryan Overton says a major closure like that is not something the agency takes lightly.
“It’s a big deal,” said Overton. “This is our primary route for the economy: commerce, people traveling across the state, the country.”
According to Overton, hazardous trees delayed the reopening of the embattled stretch of interstate. Unless crews took action, an estimated thirty Ponderosa pine trees along the route were at risk of falling into traffic.
“They’re a very resilient tree but with enough heat, they become very brittle,” said Overton. “They’ve been burned and weakened significantly.”
Captain Paul Kimball with Spokane Valley Fire has been on the frontlines of the conflict. Kimball shared that this work is deeply personal for one of his colleagues.
“While he’s fighting that fire, the fire encroaches even on his house and burned his house,” said Kimball. “So there’s a real conflict between wanting to go and protect your home and family and you’re also being asked to protect the community at large.”
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