Contractors across northwest Washington are deploying convoys of heavy construction equipment to repair and restore state highways crippled by December 2025’s historic flooding, many working around the clock to clear debris and restore washed-out roadways.
For instance, Granite Construction’s Puget Sound Region, based out of Everett, deployed a fleet of Caterpillar excavators, loaders, drum rollers, asphalt rollers and pavers to remove roughly 10,000 cu. yds. of mudslide and flood debris, along with damaged road materials, from a 2-mi. stretch of U.S. 2 east of Skykomish — a main route to Stevens Pass, one of the state’s most prominent winter recreation areas.
The highway was closed on Dec. 10, and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) assessed the road’s condition the next day. WSDOT contacted Granite on Dec. 15, after weather conditions had stabilized, and work on an emergency contract began five days later.
Granite had two to three excavation crews made up of five operators and laborers working in shifts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until it was safe for inspectors to explore the site to determine the safety reopening the roadway, said Quinn Golden, a senior project manager for Granite.
Heavy equipment mechanics were on scene to handle any issues during the road rebuilding; on any given shift, 10 to 15 dump trucks were moving materials in and out of the site, Golden said. The job took approximately 9,000 tons of crushed surfacing base course and 500 tons of HMA. Additionally, Granite had a crew working simultaneously at their Smith Island Asphalt Plant in Everett and employed subcontractors for the hauling work, saw cutting, street sweeping, material testing, guardrail placement and pavement marking.
While the work was completed ahead of schedule, there were significant challenges to making that happen, Golden said. There was the pressure of getting the work done so the highway could reopen as soon as possible, the rough terrain of a remote location (approximately 70 mi. east of Seattle), and the winter weather — rain, snow, and freezing temperatures — all combined to create a significantly tough working environment.
"Reopening U.S. 2 was critical for winter recreation and the regional economy," Golden said. "WSDOT is a great partner, and our team was honored to help reopen U.S. 2, which is a vital connection between western and eastern Washington."
Hurst Construction of East Wenatchee also worked an emergency contract for another section of U.S. 2 from Stevens Pass east to Tumwater Canyon to remove debris, make drainage repairs and stabilize the roadway, according to a WSDOT release.
Once safe, Granite’s portion of U.S. 2 reopened on Jan. 1, 2026, while traffic on the east side followed a pilot car around work areas during daylight hours. The highway was completely opened to traffic in both directions between the Stevens Pass summit and Coles Corner on Jan. 11, state officials said.
The state’s transportation department announced the hiring of several other emergency contractors on its website in December: Apollo Inc. of Kennewick; Selland Construction of Wenatchee; Active Construction Inc. of Tacoma; and TriMaxx Construction Inc. of Sedro Woolley.
More emergency contracts are in the works, as isolated areas in places like Skagit County remain impassable, said David Rasbach of WSDOT’s communications office.
With three excavators, a wheel loader, double drum roller, grapple and several other pieces of heavy equipment, TriMaxx Construction is making quick work of restoring a section of State Route 530, roughly 8 mi. south of Rockport in Skagit County, Rasbach said.
Crews are using large boulders at the bottom of the slope as anchors for the roadway repairs and quarry spalls to support the road base structure, made of crushed gravel, before resurfacing the pavement with asphalt, Rasbach added.
The road was completely closed for a week in mid-December after the Sauk River overflowed, washing out a 300-ft. section of the route’s embankment and a section of the westbound lane. Crews are building a temporary gravel bypass road on the east shoulder of the roadway to allow limited traffic through the work area while they construct a new embankment, rebuild the roadbed with gravel and then pave and stripe the road.
The work, estimated at $1.7 million, was expected to finish in January 2026, according to WSDOT officials.
South of Skykomish and Stevens Pass, Apollo Construction is tackling repairs to U.S. 12 near Naches, northwest of Yakima. When the Naches River overflowed it washed out approximately 300 ft. of the highway and guardrails; transportation officials closed the road on Dec. 10 and it will remain closed, along with the adjacent Yakima Greenway Trail, until the work is finished.
Apollo crews are creating a buttress to block the river, rebuilding the embankment and repairing the roadway with a gravel backfill, paving, striping and new guardrails.
By mid-January, the work was approximately 70 percent completed and remains in progress, said Summer Derrey of WSDOT’s communications department.
Just west of the tiny city of Winthrop, State Route 20 is closed while crews with Selland Construction repair a section of the road destroyed by mudslides and severe flooding from the Little Boulder Creek.
The repair work involves redirecting the creek back to its normal channel, removing debris, restoring the roadway and adding drainage capabilities. The route closed Dec. 10, and work began eight days later; repairs are expected to take about 30 days.
In Pierce County, Active Construction has completed emergency repairs to State Road 162 between Orting and South Prairie, allowing the roadway to reopen to traffic. The South Prairie River overflowed in early December, forcing officials to close it completely while crews stabilized the embankment with large boulders and rocks. The work was finished in less than two days.
Active Construction worked simultaneously in King County, repairing State Road 410 at Boise Creek near Enumclaw. The roadway was closed Dec. 10 between Enumclaw and Greenwater due to severe erosion on the eastbound lane. Six days later, a temporary westbound bypass lane made of gravel opened, allowing traffic to move through using a traffic signal alternating traffic in both directions.
Crews finished the work two days before Christmas, allowing the roadway to reopen.
Steve Strand, WSDOT engineering manager for Snohomish and King counties, credits good weather, strong coordination between the state officials and the dedication of Active Construction for the ability to reopen SR 410 sooner than expected.
WSDOT has issued 16 emergency contracts, with more expected, said Steve Roark, administrator for WSDOT’s Olympic region. Speaking to legislators in the state’s House Transportation Committee recently, Roark estimated that damage from the storm flooding could cost up to $50 million to repair, emphasizing that officials are still tallying the costs.
Originally reported by Lorie Jewell - CEG Correspondent in Construction Equipment Guide.
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