Both Eastbound and Westbound Lanes Now Closed near Wapato

An embankment failure on I-82 near Wapato has lead to the closure of the eastbound and now westbound lanes. Detours are now in place for both directions. The closure started Monday after an embankment failure near the eastbound lanes.

A LARGE DAMAGED IRRIGATION CULVERT CAUSED THE CLOSURE

Officials from the Washington State Department of Transportation say after inspecting the damage they found damage to a large irrigation culvert under the highway. A press release says because of the age of the structure, "severe corrosion caused a partial collapse."

DURING THE REPAIR WORK THE WESTBOUND LANES WERE IMPACTED

The WSDOT says repair work, which started on Thursday is underway by Concrete & Asphalt in Yakima. The culvert is operated by the Roza Irrigation District. During the work WSDOT officials say more damage happened to the culvert under the eastbound lanes that started to impact the westbound lanes in the same area.
WSDOT closed both westbound lanes at 6:30 a.m. Friday to prevent any crashes or other problems.

WSDOT AND ROZA ARE WORKING TO FIND A SOLUTION BUT UNTIL THEN DETOURS ARE IN PLACE

They're now working with the Roza Irrigation District to develop a solution to meet irrigation needs and reopen the highway as soon as possible.Detour routes While I-82 remains closed, traffic in both directions will follow detour routes:

Eastbound traffic will detour off I-82 at exit 37A onto US 97. Travelers will then use McDonald Road to State Route 22 and back onto I-82.
Westbound traffic will detour off I-82 at exit 50 onto Buena Road and then follow a detour via Yakima Valley Highway and Donald Wapato Road to return to I-82.
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