A look at SR 2 damage near Leavenworth

KIRO 7 took an in-depth look at the massive destruction wreaked on State Route 2 due to historic flooding in early December.

Damage to infrastructure along the highway is severe, including the loss of drainage systems, the complete loss of sections of roadway, and guardrails thrown into the river near Leavenworth.

Work continues 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 were under a 30-day timeline to clear debris and make repairs, but WSDOT Spokesperson Lauren Loebsack told KIRO 7 they’re unsure when the highway will reopen.

“People should be prepared for a prolonged shutdown that we really don’t know about,” Loebsack said.

Specifically, it tells us they lost about 50 feet of the eastbound SR-2 lane, drainage systems and guardrail near Leavenworth.

Most of them fell into the river.

Sheriff Morrison said no one was driving near the highway at the time and no one was injured.

Loebsack said crews are dealing with extreme damage and now winter weather. It tells us that crews can and will work in the cold, snow and ice, but only if it is safe to do so. He said that winter conditions slowed down the work that needed to be done.

“There are times when they’re working through these conditions and the snow moving and they have to deal with that, so the timeline for when to open is difficult this early,” Loebsack said.

Leavenworth business owners say the closure hurts the Christmas rush.

The week before Christmas is usually much busier, says Anita Hamilton with Andreas Keller.

“Normally this time of year we have thousands and thousands of visitors and you can’t sit here, but for lunch there are maybe half a dozen people,” Hamilton said.

They tell us that the first weekend after the Atmosphere River was damaged, Leavenworth became a ghost town because there was no electricity.

Since then, power has been restored and businesses have opened to tourists. It tells us that the weekend went well, but the weekdays are still slower.

Heidi Forchemer, owner of The Gingerbread Factory, says they hope all small businesses survive this blow in the long run.

“This lack of traffic will impact many small businesses, including ours,” Forchemer said.

Detours are available and Leavenworth can be accessed via I-90 and Blewitt Pass instead.

Even Santa Claus says he hopes more people will visit him here soon.

“We’re open for business, come to Leavenworth, it’s open, they’re ready for you, it’s time to celebrate together,” Santa said.