‘We are completely empty’: Small businesses hit hard by storms now face long-term US 2 closure

Despite the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) reopening more than 60 roads in western Washington after an atmospheric river pounded the region with heavy rainfall and flooding, many major roadways remain closed.

KIRO Newsradio traffic reporter Chris Sullivan broke down the ongoing road closures.

US 2

Nearly 50 miles of US 2 are closed due to rocks, trees, and mud scattered over the roadway. According to WSDOT Secretary of Transportation Julie Meredith, the roads on US 2 are “washed out,” meaning it could take months to rebuild.

“Please never drive through standing water or debris slides,” Meredith said during a press conference Tuesday. “If you can’t see the roadway, don’t go forward.”

The closure stretches from milepost 50 in Skykomish to milepost 99 in Leavenworth.

“There is no detour available and no estimated time for reopening,” WSDOT stated. “Motorists are advised to use an alternate route.”

US 2 is also closed east of Stevens Pass from Coles Corner, milepost 85, through Tumwater Canyon to Leavenworth, milepost 99, due to high water levels.

Leavenworth mayor on US 2 closure: Disappointing but not surprising

Leavenworth Mayor Carl Florea said the news was disappointing but not surprising.

“It definitely impacts us, you know, a great deal,” he told KIRO Newsradio. “But we still are open.”

He points out that Leavenworth is still accessible through Blewett Pass.

Florea met with agencies including WSDOT, the Washington State Patrol, and the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday to “realign what our plans are and how we’ll try to handle that, make sure we keep it moving as much as we can,” he told KIRO Newsradio.

Leavenworth’s annual Christmastown event was canceled last weekend, but Florea is hoping it will happen this weekend despite the highway closure.

“The lights are up, and actually, the downtown had minimal damage,” he said. “We, you know, had terrific amounts of damage from fallen trees in our residential area, but none of the trees in the downtown park were affected. The lights are still on now that we’ve got electricity back.”

US 2 closure leaves Cascadia Inn without guests for a week

Henry Sladek owns the 14-room Cascadia Inn in Skykomish.

“We are completely empty, and we have been for the last week,” Sladek said.

He told KIRO Newsradio Tuesday that even a short closure of Highway 2 affects his business.

“We rely a lot on the ski business this time of year, as well as all the people traveling to and from the West Side to Leavenworth and beyond,” he said.

For now, Sladek is keeping the restaurant open even when the power goes out so locals can find a place to grab a hot meal.

Stevens Pass Ski Resort continues preparing for winter operations

A spokesperson for Stevens Pass Ski Resort told KIRO Newsradio the resort is working closely with WSDOT and local partners to stay informed regarding the closure of US 2.

The resort is expecting an official update and further guidance from WSDOT later this week, but it will remain closed until conditions improve.

“At this time, we still do not have the snow conditions needed to open the resort, but we are continuing work to prepare for winter operations when conditions permit. Employees are continuing to return to work at Stevens Pass via access from the east side, under guidance and approval from WSDOT. The safety and well-being of our employees remains our top priority,” the spokesperson wrote in an email.

“We appreciate the work of our employees and the patience and understanding of our Stevens Pass community as we navigate this situation, and we hope everyone is staying safe during these weather events across Washington State,” they continued.

State Route 167

“We’re still closed on the valley freeway. SR 167 is still closed between Highway 18 in Auburn and 277th Street in Kent, in both directions,” Sullivan said on “The Gee and Ursula Show.” “The low spot there is closer to 277th Street in Kent, and they haven’t reopened that highway there. What we saw today was it created just a disastrous drive on I-5. At one point, we got up to two hours and 20 minutes to go from Tacoma to Seattle. Of course, we had a couple of crashes along the way that didn’t help.”

According to WSDOT, there is no estimated time to reopen lanes or ramps along the closed six-mile stretch of SR 167.

“Crews are primarily making sure when the water is receding, they don’t want to open it up and then have to close it back down, like they did yesterday,” Sullivan added. “They closed, then reopened the southbound lanes, and then they closed them again later in the morning. So, it’s a safety issue. I had a bunch of people ask me this, ‘Well, 167 looks totally fine.’ Like, yeah, it does look totally fine until it doesn’t.”

State Route 410

The Chinook Pass on SR 410 is closed for the season due to adverse conditions and avalanche risk. Eastbound lanes are closed at Crystal Mountain Boulevard, milepost 57, 12 miles west of the summit. Westbound lanes are closed at Morse Creek, milepost 74, five miles east of the summit.

Lanes have reopened in both directions, eastbound and westbound, on SR 410 from 284th Ave. S.E., milepost 26, to 583rd Ave E., milepost 43.

Traffic due to expansive road closures

“How’s that impact? How’s the traffic been in the morning?” KIRO host Ursula Reutin asked.

“Absolutely terrible. This morning, at one point, it took about 50 minutes to go from Tacoma to Federal Way. That’s about 10 miles,” Sullivan shared. “I mean, that’s about 40 minutes slower because that’s where everybody’s going. There really aren’t any alternatives. So that’s going to be brutal.”

Use WSDOT’s live traffic map for up-to-date information.

This is a developing story, check back for updates

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.