DISCOVERY BAY – A mudslide Monday on state Highway 20 between Eaglemount and Anderson Lake roads, and a second one at the same location the following day, serve to remind motorists that they are vulnerable on that stretch.
Little can be done to prevent slides, said Jamie Swift, state Department of Transportation spokesman.
“It’s not uncommon to have slides in that location,” said Swift.
“It’s a slide-prone location.”
Heavy rains that dumped about 2.5 inches of rain between Sunday and Monday led to the slide Monday.
Up to 70 cubic yards of dirt, rocks and trees fell onto the northbound lane, blocking it for a portion of the day, Swift said.
A gaping opening of about 50 feet wide by about 100 feet high remains, with some tire-sized boulders in the ditch below and near the slide site.
It took up to seven truckloads to clear the road, some of which were dumped on a southbound slow-vehicle pullout nearby.
The following day, with the ground still saturated, a smaller slide sent about 10 cubic yards of dirt into a ditch at the side of the highway meant to catch such falling debris.
Swift said 90 percent of the slides fall into the northbound ditch and never make it to the road.
One of the contributing factors in slides in that area is that Eaglemount was heavily logged about 10 years ago, which loosened the soil and allowed more water to soak into the ground, Swift said.
