KIRO 7 took an in-depth look at the massive washout on State Route 2 caused by historic flooding in early December.
Damage to infrastructure along the highway is significant, including loss of drainage systems, entire sections of road missing, and guardrails thrown into the river near Leavenworth.
Work is underway to clear debris and make minor repairs at locations near Skykomish, Stevens Pass Summit, and Leavenworth.
WSDOT crews near Leavenworth told Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison they are under a 30-day timeline to clear the debris and make repairs, but WSDOT Spokesperson Lauren Loebsack tells KIRO 7 they aren’t sure when the highway will reopen.
“People should prepare for an extended shutdown that we genuinely don’t know,” Loebsack said.
She tells us specifically near Leavenworth, they lost about 50 feet of the eastbound SR-2 lane, the drainage systems, and the guardrail.
Most of this fell into the river.
Sheriff Morrison tells us that no one was driving near that stretch of highway at the time, and no one was injured.
Loebsack said crews are battling extreme damage and now winter weather. She tells us that crews can and will work in the cold, snow and ice, but only as long as it is safe to do so. She said that the winter conditions are reducing the work that needs to be done.
“There are times when those conditions and snow shifts are going to be what they’re working on and they have to address that as it comes, so the timeline of when they open is difficult this early,” Loebsack said.
Leavenworth business owners say the closing is hurting their Christmas rush.
Anita Hamilton, with Andreas Keller, tells us that the week before Christmas is usually much busier.
“We have thousands and thousands of visitors usually this time of year and you wouldn’t be able to sit here, but there’s maybe half a dozen people for lunch,” Hamilton said.
We’re told the first weekend after the damaging Atmospheric River, Leavenworth was a ghost town because it had no power.
Since then, power has been restored, and businesses are open to tourists. She tells us that the weekend went well, but the weekdays are still proving to be slower.
Heidi Forchemer, owner of The Gingerbread Factory, says they hope all small businesses will be able to weather the hit in the long run.
“This lack of traffic will impact many small businesses, including ours,” Forchemer said.
Detours are in place, and Leavenworth is accessible via I-90 and Blewitt Pass instead.
Even Santa tells us that he hopes to see more people visit him here soon.
“We’re open for business, come Leavenworth, it’s open, they’re ready for you, it’s time to celebrate together,” Santa said.