Access to US 2 Stevens Pass to reopen with daytime pilot car operations starting Dec. 29

STEVENS PASS – Work to repair one of several damaged locations on US 2, a stretch near Stevens Pass between Scenic (milepost 58) and Mill Creek Road (milepost 71), began Dec. 18. Enough progress has been made clearing debris and stabilizing the roadway that this portion of the road is scheduled to reopen to daytime pilot car operations on Monday, Dec. 29.

Severe flooding caused mudslides and washouts at multiple locations between Skykomish (milepost 50) and Leavenworth (milepost 99), including:

The road remains closed at this time between milepost 50 and 99.

Beginning at 6 a.m. Monday, Dec. 29, crews with the Washington State Department of Transportation will open access to the public on US 2 from Coles Corner west to Stevens Pass Resort. Traffic will be guided by pilot car for eight miles through an active work zone from milepost 72 to the resort  at milepost 64, alternating one direction at a time. People should expect delays of up to 60 minutes, potentially longer depending on weather and road conditions. Pilot car operations will run from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily as conditions allow. The road will return to the full closure status from milepost 50 to 99 at the end of pilot car operations every night after 6 p.m.

Currently, US 2 remains closed west of the ski resort (milepost 64) to Skykomish (milepost 50). Work to clear debris from a bridge east of Skykomish at milepost 54 started Dec. 20. An inspection of the bridge to assess damage so crews can determine if it is possible to reopen to traffic is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 29. Contractor crews continue to clear the debris and are working with bridge inspectors, geotechnical engineers and other specialty disciplines to evaluate damage and develop repair plans, which may include similar limited traffic operations.

Additionally, US 2 at Tumwater Canyon remains closed from east of Coles Corner (milepost 85) to Leavenworth (milepost 99). Repairs started Dec. 23. The detour is Chumstick Highway, a rural county road with lower speeds and bridge restrictions. Drivers should plan for longer travel times on the Chumstick Highway detour.

Get real-time travel information via the WSDOT mobile app, the real-time travel map, or by signing up for email updates and alerts. Current weather and highway conditions are posted on the WSDOT mountain passes webpage.