US 2 to Leavenworth could open in March

It’s been six weeks since a series of atmospheric rivers hit our region, causing catastrophic flooding around the state. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is still working to repair some of the damage.

And we can start to quantify the damage from these storms, now that time has passed. The state emergency management center was open for nearly a month to handle the flooding. That’s something that hasn’t happened since the pandemic.

WSDOT tracking repairs at 50 sites across state; damage estimated at $50 million

Just how bad was the damage to our roads and bridges?

“We’ve identified 50 sites that we are tracking and making repairs at,” WSDOT Olympic Region Administrator Steve Roark told lawmakers this week.

These are everything from washouts to under-cutting of roads to damaged bridges. The damage will likely come in around $50 million.

Most of that money is expected to come from the federal government, under the emergency declaration from Washington Governor Bob Ferguson.

Many of the damaged areas have been fixed, some temporarily, but there are plenty that will require more time.

Section of US 2 remains closed as crews work to rebuild washed-out highway

I want to focus on US 2 between Skykomish and Leavenworth because a section of that highway remains closed because of the damage. Due to the atmospheric river, 600 feet of highway was buried just east of Skykomish by 4 to 10 feet of debris, and long-term repairs won’t be addressed until this summer.

“About a three-mile section of US 2 in the eastbound direction, the shoulder was completely undermined. About 40 drainage culverts were plugged and in bad shape,” Roark said.

East of Stevens Pass, three miles of the highway were washed out in some way. Lanes are now open from the pass to Coles Corner, but permanent repairs will be needed later this year, as well.

US 2 remains closed from Coles Corner to Leavenworth. The shoulder and a driving lane were washed out in 16 spots over those 14 miles. WSDOT needs to bring in large boulders to rebuild the sides of the highway.

“We’re letting another contract very soon to make the permanent repairs,” Roark said. “We anticipate having this segment of US 2 reopened by March, but there’s just a lot of work left to do to get that accomplished.”

Repairs will continue in the summer

Long-term repairs on this stretch of highway will also need to be completed this summer.

Other roads damaged by the storms will have to wait for repairs.

For example, there are no estimates for reopening US 12 through Naches. Work to prevent more damage and erosion was put on hold last month for an environmental review.

Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here. Follow KIRO Newsradio traffic on X.

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