OLYMPIA, WA – U.S. Highway 2 west of Stevens Pass will fully reopen by Sunday, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said Tuesday.
The major east-west route was badly damaged during heavy rain and flooding that hit the state earlier this month. Closures on both sides of the pass began Dec. 10.
The west-side reopening, from mileposts 50 to 64, will provide access to the Stevens Pass Ski Resort from the Puget Sound region, a welcome development for season pass holders and businesses along the corridor that depend on winter patrons traveling to and from the resort.
“It’ll open as in, all lanes, no restrictions from here to the pass. So it’s incredibly, incredibly good news,” Ferguson said during a press conference in Skykomish, where the road has been shut down on the west side of the mountains.
With lane closures east of Stevens Pass and a lengthy detour nearer to Leavenworth, the road is not recommended as a route over the Cascade Mountains, officials said.
On Monday, Dec. 29, Highway 2 partially reopened on the east side between Stevens Pass and Coles Corner, at milepost 85, with pilot cars guiding people along a 6- to 7-mile stretch near the pass that’s down to one lane. The pilot-car-led route is open between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Officials still expect parts of the highway to be disrupted and potentially closed for months.
About 15 miles of the road between Coles Corner and Leavenworth through Tumwater Canyon remain closed, with a detour available along Chumstick Highway, a rural county road.
State Transportation Secretary Julie Meredith said that by the end of January, it’s possible the segment of the road with pilot car restrictions could reopen with one lane in each direction. But more roadwork in the area would be required after that, she said.
Restoring the road through Tumwater Canyon will be more difficult, especially in winter weather.
“That detour from Leavenworth to Coles Corner is going to be in place for an extended period of time,” Ferguson said. “Until March at least.”
Meredith said that there are more than 16 areas washed out or damaged in Tumwater Canyon. She cautioned that the detour around the canyon is curvy and circuitous and is not like driving on a highway. State officials recommend that drivers traveling across the Cascades use Interstate 90 as an alternate route. U.S. 12, further south, is another option.
Reopening the western portion of the highway partly hinged on inspecting a bridge near milepost 54 that was piled up with logs and other slide debris. There is a cracked girder on the bridge, and it will require further repairs, but the inspection determined it is safe enough to drive over for now.
There’s no cost estimate yet for repairing the damage along U.S. 2, Ferguson said.
The governor said the state is still working on an application for federal disaster relief to help with flood recovery and that he expects to submit it in the coming weeks.
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