Landslide blocking driveway slows traffic on Mercer Island

Traffic on a section of West Mercer Way on Mercer Island was reduced to one lane Tuesday after a small landslide blocked access to a driveway that served five homes.

The incident was caused by debris from a mudslide in the 7800-7900 block of West Mercer Way, said Glenn Boettcher, Mercer Island maintenance director.

The slide was reported about 6:45 a.m., he said, and apparently occurred overnight during heavy rains in an area where slides have occurred frequently for decades.

A geotechnical review is being done to determine the cause of the slide. A contractor had been working in the area and a trench had been opened for storm-drain work, but it was unknown whether that activity contributed to the slide.

"The road itself wasn't damaged," Boettcher said.

West Mercer Way was fully reopened to traffic in the afternoon, and crews were cleaning up the mud.