TRAFFIC ALERT UPDATE: Highland Park Way open again after tree trouble


(Added 4:22 pm – reader photo – thank you!)

3:50 PM: Avoid Highland Park Way hill (between West Marginal Way SW and SW Holden) for a while – we have multiple reports (thank you!) of at least one tree down across part of the road. Heading out for a look and will update.

3:58 PM: More messages, and the scanner, confirm that the road is currently fully closed northbound (downhill).

4:22 PM: Added a reader photo, which confirms, in case you wondered, this is NOT the same spot as last month’s slide – it’s on the south side of the road, just southwest of SW Othello. The slide was on the northeast side of the road.

6:12 PM: SDOT says Highland Park Way has fully reopened.

8 Replies to "TRAFFIC ALERT UPDATE: Highland Park Way open again after tree trouble"

  • Melissa March 11, 2017 (4:26 pm)

    I wonder what SDOT is doing to address the green belt along Highland Park Way.  In a months time there has been a land slide and a downed tree. 

  • Ktrapp March 11, 2017 (4:58 pm)

    Not surprising in the least.  That entire set of trees have been leaning pretty heavily the past several months.  I think someone proactively took out a few some months back (visible in the photo near the truck), but clearly they didn’t get all the in danger trees.

  • dsa March 11, 2017 (5:38 pm)

    The hill cannot support them.  That is why they lean downhill.  

  • Mflash March 11, 2017 (6:11 pm)

    Looks like we will continue to see falling trees,  landslides and power lines down until the city looks at the whole area. I am repeating myself here from the last incident. Luckily we still have power. It’s loozing pretty sad. Drive safely folks. 

  • Twempie March 11, 2017 (10:43 pm)

    Landslides and trees down, in a temperate rain forest. What are the odds.

  • they March 12, 2017 (8:13 am)

    looking at the picture you can see all the trees at a pretty good angle. I’d say the hole bank has been sliding for quit some time.

  • John March 12, 2017 (10:51 am)

    The trees leaning are not because of earth movement.  When the earth moves, the trees show curves at their trunk bases as they adjust  to movement.

    They are leaning into the light, seeking the channel of sunlight provided by the road-way clearing.

    This is just another of the city’s neglected steep slopes in green spaces.  Rather than restoration and planting proactively (like they require developers to do) the city has allowed a primarily monoculture of ill suited volunteer trees to age into the hill side.  It will likely continue to slide until the city does some proactive work to address this rather than just bandaid-ing it repeatedly.

  • Michael March 13, 2017 (10:16 am)

    Thanks to the crew that got that cleaned up so fast!

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