14 Miles of U.S. Hwy 2 to Remain Closed Through Weekend

A 14-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 2 between Skykomish and Index will remain closed through the weekend due to the Bolt Creek Fire.

Spokesperson Amy Moreno with the Washington Department of Transportation (DOT), says the decision was made on Thursday afternoon per the consensus of several organizations.

“We’ve (DOT) been having ongoing briefings with a joint task force that’s working together on this incident, and it was agreed that it would be best to keep the road closed until Monday for the safety of the public and for the fire crews up there.”

Moreno adds the closure continues to be necessary due to both the fire and the volume of emergency traffic which is using the highway.

“We had a tree come down on a hill in the closure zone. It was a very large tree, and it was a good example of why we have to keep this roadway closed. At the same time, they have a significant amount of firefighting equipment that’s still coming through that area.”

The closure went into effect last Saturday when the fire was first reported and had covered 18 miles of the highway from Skykomish to Gold Bar until Wednesday, when it was reduced by four miles to allow school buses more access to their routes.

The continuing shutdown will mean travelers should expect heavier volumes of traffic on both Interstate-90 over Snoqualmie Pass, as well as on State Route 20 over both Rainy and Washington Passes.