U.S. Highway 2 near Leavenworth closed, U.S. 12 near Naches damaged after torrential rain, flooding

Roads remain underwater, or washed out completely, as crews work to get Washington’s transportation system back in order following a week of torrential rain and swollen rivers.

Even with rivers cresting throughout Friday, travelers and commuters mostly waited in vain for road closures to be lifted. That said, the region’s transit agencies largely maintained bus and train schedules throughout the monstrous weather event.

It will take some time to assess the damage, even more to repair it, and officials urge patience and caution. With that in mind, here is a partial list of the damage to and perseverance of the region’s roads, bridges and transit systems.

Roads

A 49-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 2 is closed from Skykomish to Leavenworth, including Stevens Pass, with rocks, trees and mud blocking the roadway in many spots. There is no detour available and officials have not given an estimated reopening time.

In Snohomish County, state Route 9 is closed for 4 miles from Bickford Avenue to Lowell-Larimer.

Near Duvall and the border of King and Snohomish counties, state Route 203 is closed for a couple of miles from Carnation Farm Road to Lake Joy Road, and again near Monroe from Northeast Cherry Valley Road to Cherry Valley Road.

Near Mount Vernon, the area where state routes20 and 9, and Interstate 5, come together, has multiple road closures. Due east of Mount Vernon, state Route 20 is closed for 1 mile, from Peter Anderson Road to Collins Road. A mile of  Route 9 is closed, from Francis Road to South Skagit Highway.

In Pierce County, state Route 410 is closed for 17 miles, from Enumclaw to Greenwater.

South of Snoqualmie Pass, a portion of state Route 906 is shut from the fire station at Yellowstone Trail Road to Hyak Drive East.

In Naches, on the other side of the Cascades, U.S. Highway 12 is closed, as is the Yakima Greenway Trail that runs near it.

Four miles of state Route 530 is closed in Skagit and Snohomish counties, from Suiattle River Road to Concrete Sauk Valley Road.

In Whatcom County, state Route 9 is closed for about 2 miles to the Canadian border.  State Route 547 is out for a mile, just off the state Route 9 closure. Route 546 is down for a mile in Everson. And state Route 542, the Mount Baker Highway, is closed for 20 miles, from milepost 36 all the way to the Mt. Baker Ski Area.

Bridges

The Skagit River Bridge on state Route 536 in Mount Vernon remains closed.

Rockport Cascade Road over Jordan Creek near Marblemount has washed out and been destroyed.

The Baring Bridge, a 1930s-era timber suspension bridge over the South Fork of the Skykomish River, sustained significant damage after uprooted trees floating on the flooded river struck the bridge.

Transit

In a sign of resilience, the region’s transit agencies have largely kept their heads above water. But things can move quickly, said Monica Spain, a spokesperson with Snohomish County’s Community Transit, who urged riders to sign up for agency alerts to keep aware of any unexpected changes.

Everything is local. When there’s a problem, it’s not systemwide, it’s very geographically focused,” Spain said. “We’re rerouting buses when needed, and making adjustments when needed.”

For instance, Community Transit shifted Route 109 onto I-5 to avoid state Route 9, which is flooded, adding significant time to the trip, Spain said.

Bus Route 240, which connects Stanwood to the Smokey Point Transit Center, had to “split in half” and has two shuttles running the route. The downtown park and ride in Stanwood, which has been overrun with water from the flooded Skagit River, is closed.

“Even though the waters are receding, it’s hard to predict how long our reroutes will be in effect,” Spain said.

Elaine Porterfield, a King County Metro spokesperson, said a number of bus lines had been suspended or rerouted, with a few already returned to regular service. However, its Dial-A-Ride Route 931 remains rerouted due to a flooded roadway. Bus Route 208 is also rerouted, and isn’t stopping east of Southeast Snoqualmie Parkway and Fairway Avenue Southeast.

Maureen McCarthy, the community and government relations director at Whatcom Transportation Authority, said a few routes had been canceled or rerouted, and the agency’s Ferndale Station is indefinitely closed.

Still, some of the lines already returned to service Friday morning, including Route 72x to Kendall.

Things are already starting to get better,” McCarthy said.

Whatcom’s Route 50, with service to Lummi Nation, remains fully closed. And Route 80x, which normally runs between Bellingham and Mount Vernon, is running, but on a detour.

Sound Transit, which runs the region’s light rail and commuter Sounder trains, has had no change to service, said Henry Bendon, an agency spokesperson.

The rain has left some areas of standing water on light tracks, Bendon said, “but nothing that would require a slow order or cause a disruption to service.

Pierce Transit has also avoided any trouble, said Rebecca Japhet, the agency’s spokesperson.

Amtrak is also trying to keep its schedule, with all trains heading south of Seattle running normally.

North, however, is a different story, with the swollen Skagit River. Trains running between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., were canceled Thursday and Friday. Saturday morning’s Train 517 between the two cities has also been canceled, but may be replaced with a bus if possible.

Buses between Seattle and Bellingham are running, but will not stop in Mount Vernon.