# Last remaining interstate highway snowshed to come down soon



## fairviewroad (Mar 17, 2014)

I don't know if their claim that it's the last remaining interstate snowshed is true, but I certainly haven't come across any others

in my travels. This one is located on Snoqualmie Pass east of Seattle.

The I-90 snowshed retires after 64 years!

The link has a bit of train content, too:



> If you were around in 1950, you may have watched construction of the shed while riding the train on the other side of Keechelus Lake.


Here's what it looks like as you approach:

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=keechelus+lake&ll=47.354968,-121.365827&spn=0.00258,0.005681&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&channel=sb&hnear=Keechelus+Lake&gl=us&t=k&z=18&layer=c&cbll=47.354883,-121.365801&panoid=lDiXzEMM2yBPhc3uPzZSaQ&cbp=12,338.56,,0,13.09


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## oregon pioneer (Mar 17, 2014)

I have been through that shed many, many times. I used to travel over Snoqualmie Pass nearly every week, when I ived in Seattle and had a cabin near Ellensburg.


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## JayPea (Mar 17, 2014)

Been through that snowshed numerous times myself.


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## railiner (Mar 17, 2014)

fairviewroad said:


> I don't know if their claim that it's the last remaining interstate snowshed is true, but I certainly haven't come across any others
> 
> in my travels. This one is located on Snoqualmie Pass east of Seattle.
> 
> ...


While Colorado-US-160 is not exactly an 'Interstate', it does have a snowshed near infamous Wolf Creek Pass....http://www.mesalek.com/colo/picts/us160snowshed.jpg


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## fairviewroad (Mar 18, 2014)

railiner said:


> While Colorado-US-160 is not exactly an 'Interstate', it does have a snowshed near infamous Wolf Creek Pass....http://www.mesalek.com/colo/picts/us160snowshed.jpg


Very cool, thanks. Here's what that one looks like one Streetview (with some snow on the roof!)

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Wolf+Creek+Pass,+Colorado&hl=en&ll=37.478812,-106.780472&spn=0.00152,0.00284&sll=44.145447,-120.583402&sspn=5.597407,11.634521&oq=colorado+wol&hnear=Wolf+Creek+Pass&t=k&z=19&layer=c&cbll=37.478812,-106.780472&panoid=nEqa7gBYC49WpZMQn7oFjg&cbp=12,10.75,,0,7.9

Anyone know of other highway snowsheds?


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## Ispolkom (Mar 18, 2014)

The article referenced mentioned that the snowshed would be replaced by "avalanche bridges." Is that what it sounds like (a bridge under which an avalanche would flow)? Does anyone know of an example of that? I googled the term and came up with a Swiss firm that installs snowfences to (I think) anchor snow. That sounds much less interesting.


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## CHamilton (Mar 18, 2014)

Ispolkom said:


> The article referenced mentioned that the snowshed would be replaced by "avalanche bridges." Is that what it sounds like (a bridge under which an avalanche would flow)? Does anyone know of an example of that? I googled the term and came up with a Swiss firm that installs snowfences to (I think) anchor snow. That sounds much less interesting.


Yes, I believe that it's what you are describing. The recent snowslide at Goat Lick, near Essex, MT, went under such a bridge. Although in that case, it didn't stop closure of both the BNSF and US Highway 2. I'm not a highway engineer, so I don't know what the theoretical advantages of bridges vs. snowsheds are supposed to be.


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## oregon pioneer (Mar 18, 2014)

Well, I googled "avalanche bridge I-90" and got lots of photos of the snow shed they are going to remove (undoubtedly due to the content of the news releases about the upcoming bridge). But I do know, because I watched it being built, that portions of the westbound I-90 freeway lanes, going down the west side of Snoqualmie Pass, have been on just that type of bridge for about 30 years. The large posts that support the bridge are designed to let the snow just flow oin by without inflicting any damage.


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## railiner (Mar 19, 2014)

fairviewroad said:


> Anyone know of other highway snowsheds?


There are a few of them up in B.C. https://tranbc.ca/2011/11/30/avalanche-safety-shedding-light-on-the-snow-shed/


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