STEVENS PASS, Wash. – US 2 at Stevens Pass will temporarily close on early Friday for the Washington Department of Transportation to perform avalanche control.
The closure will take place at 4 a.m. on January 9 and will last between 30 minutes to two hours. During the operation, eastbound traffic will stop at milepost 58 at Scenic and westbound traffic will stop at milepost 64 at the summit of Stevens Pass.
Check WSDOT’s traffic map for up-to-date information on road closures.
The closure will take place at the “Old Faithful” avalanche zone, an area that requires frequent control, according to the department.
The department has several methods of avalanche control, but its website says the Stevens Pass crew uses trams and a 105 mm Howitzer to fire shells into the top of twelve avalanche paths.
Once the snow is cleared from the roadway, the road reopens and the day’s avalanche control is over.
The department said the pass saw 21 inches of new snow in the last two days and had 41 inches of snowpack on the ground on Wednesday.
On Thursday the department said snow chains were required for all cars without all-wheel drive and that oversized vehicles were prohibited.
