Yakima commissioners vote to keep road closed near Rattlesnake Ridge

A portion of Thorp Road will remain closed indefinitely as engineers continue to evaluate a slow-moving landslide on Rattlesnake Ridge.

Yakima County Commissioners voted Tuesday to extend the closure along the Yakima River east of Union Gap due to the risk of falling rocks from the portion of the ridge that has been sliding since October.

Officials made an emergency road closure in December, but needed to conduct a public hearing to extend it indefinitely.

While acknowledging that the closure is inconvenient for people who use the road to get to the Lower Valley, County Engineer Gary Ekstedt said in an earlier interview that it was better than having a basketball-sized rock hit a windshield.

“This thing could keep moving for months or years, or it could start to stabilize as it builds up its own buttress,” Ekstedt said.

This story was originally published March 8, 2018 at 12:27 PM with the headline "Yakima commissioners vote to keep road closed near Rattlesnake Ridge."