 Dec. 19, 2025
Parts of Snohomish County and much of Western Washington continue to feel the effects of last week’s back-to-back atmospheric rivers, which brought historic and in many places unprecedented flooding.
The good news, at this point, is that most state highways in Snohomish County have fully reopened thanks to WSDOT maintenance crews working 24/7 since the storms arrived. We’re not through this yet and there is more weather on the way. We will continue to monitor weather conditions and river levels well into next week.
Here is where things stand on state highways within the county, along with an update on US 2:
SR 9
Rising floodwaters from the Snohomish River required a multi-day closure along nearly four miles of State Route 9 between Lowell-Larimer Road and Bickford Avenue south of Snohomish. Our crews reopened nearly all of this highway on Sunday, Dec. 14.
The left lane on southbound SR 9 remains closed near Marsh Road due to damage from the floodwaters. There is no estimated time to reopen this section of the road. Please use caution in this area and expect delays during peak travel times until repairs can be made.
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US 2 trestle
When the Snohomish River is running high and fast, it is common for logs and debris to float downriver and catch on the US 2 trestle east of Everett. The intensity of last week’s storms moved vast amounts of material and created a massive logjam. If left unchecked, logjams put intense pressure on the bridge support piers.
Our crews used specialized equipment to break up the logjams so the material could flow harmlessly downriver. Our crews cleared the worst of the logjam Sunday afternoon, Dec. 14. We’ve resumed some clearing efforts in recent days and will monitor conditions at the bridge to prevent major jams.
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US 2 east of Skykomish
Roughly 50 miles of US 2 remain closed between Skykomish and Leavenworth (mp 50 – mp 99), and there is no firm timeline to reopen the road. Our crews have worked around the clock in this area to clear multiple landslides, assess the stability of surrounding slopes and address road and shoulder damage. We continue to assess the damage in several locations, which is an important first step before repairs can begin.
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 Aerial of Snohomish River flooding near the City of Snohomish on Dec. 11, 2025
The SR 9 Marsh Road to 2nd Street Vic widening and bridge painting project is on hold until flood waters recede.
When work resumes this project will widen SR 9 between Marsh Road and 2nd Street near the city of Snohomish, build two southbound bridges directly to the west of the existing bridges—which will become northbound lanes—over the Snohomish River, and rebuild the on-ramp from 2nd Street to southbound SR 9. It also includes restoring and repainting the existing SR 9 Snohomish River bridge.
It’s better than a one-horse open sleigh, so there will be a lot of people using Washington State Ferries to get to their destinations this holiday season.
Around 700,000 passengers are expected from Friday, Dec. 19, through Wednesday, Dec. 31. Those boarding in a vehicle should be ready for long waits.
The expected surge, combined with the restoration of full domestic service earlier this year, is projected to push 2025 ridership above 20 million. That would mark the system’s first return to that level since 2019.
Plan before you go
People boarding a vessel in a vehicle should use the WSDOT mobile app or visit the WSF website before heading to the terminal. Both feature sailing schedules, live terminal conditions, rider alerts, a real-time map and vehicle reservations.
Busy travel times
With Christmas falling on a Thursday, it’s difficult to predict when people will be traveling. However, the busiest sailings will likely be centered around the weekends before and after the holiday. Historically, fewer people catch a ferry during New Year’s week. To reduce or eliminate waiting, riders should consider taking an early-morning or late-night sailing or using transit to walk or bike onto the ferry if possible.
Holiday schedules
There will be a few changes to the daily schedules on the Edmonds/Kingston and Point Defiance/Tahlequah routes on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, and again on these two runs plus the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route on New Year’s Day, Jan. 1. These changes are marked online on each schedule by route. The Seattle/Bainbridge Island and Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth runs will operate on weekend timetables both days.
Winter sailing season
WSF’s winter sailing season begins Sunday, Dec. 28. The switch will bring schedule changes on two routes.
Seattle/Bremerton: Construction at Bremerton terminal in January will prevent two vessels from docking there overnight. The No. 1 boat will dock in Seattle instead until the season ends March 21, 2026. During this time, there will be:
- No 4:50 a.m. Bremerton departure.
- A 3 p.m. sailing out of Bremerton instead of 2:40 p.m.
- An added 10:15 p.m. Bremerton to Seattle sailing.
- No 8:35 a.m. Seattle or 9:50 a.m. Bremerton departures on Sundays.
Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth: Normal seasonal shift to two-boat schedule on weekends.
People using state highways to get to the ferry terminal should plan for potential holiday travel backups and delays by checking real-time traffic information on the WSDOT mobile app or online using the WSDOT travel map feature.
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Online open House and Survey
We want to hear from you!
We have developed a recommended vision with the community and agency partners for SR 99 between 212th Street Southwest and Airport Road in Lynnwood and unincorporated Snohomish County.
We are hosting an online open house from Thursday, December 18, through Tuesday, January 20, 2026 to share and hear your thoughts on the recommended improvements for people walking, biking and taking transit.
The online open house and survey are available 24/7, allowing you to review project details and complete a brief survey at your convenience. The online open house and survey are available in the following languages: Arabic, Chuukese, English, Korean, Marshallese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Traditional Chinese, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
Your input will help us better understand how to implement the recommendations.
Once the open house closes, WSDOT will review community feedback to inform next steps for designing and implementing the recommendations. Visit our project website for more information.
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