Highway 2, the main route from Seattle to Leavenworth, reopened to regular traffic just east of Stevens Pass on Saturday, after the Washington State Department of Transportation finished emergency repairs.
Expect no more pilot vehicles and no more night closures, the department reported. The road is now open to normal traffic flow to Coles Corner, where there's still a detour to Chumstick Highway due to washouts in Tumwater Canyon. The detour adds about 7 miles to the trip.
Historic rain and flooding in December damaged the highway and severed an arterial route for winter tourism. The stretch of road that connects Western Washington to Stevens Pass skiing and Leavenworth has been reopened in stages.
The latest repairs restore east-side access to the resort, welcome news to night skiers. Resort access was limited, but is now available 24/7, the resort’s general manager Ellen Galbraith wrote on Facebook. Night skiing is set to resume on Jan. 14, Galbraith added.
The resort had delayed its season opening because of insufficient snow even before atmospheric rivers inundated the region. About 100 staff members were forced to evacuate during the December deluge, The Seattle Times reported.
Snow levels in the Cascades are expected to rise as high as 8,000 feet Sunday and Monday, because of another atmospheric river en route to Washington, according to a National Weather Service update Saturday.
Stevens Pass sits at a little over 4,000 feet.
The rain forecast is good for travelers headed across the Cascades, but not great for snowpack, said weather service meteorologist Jeff Michalski.
Highway 2 between Skykomish and Stevens Pass reopened to two-way traffic just before the new year, while east-side repairs continued.
It’s still a mountain pass in winter, the state transportation department noted, encouraging drivers to check conditions and alerts before traveling.
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