Pacific Northwest 3 February 8, 2026

Contractors Repair Washington Flooding Damage

By Lorie Jewell CEG CORRESPONDENT

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.

Kent, WA

(800) 669-2425

Rochester, WA (800) 304-4421

Spokane, WA (800) 541-0754

Boise, ID (800) 221-5211

Pocatello, ID (800) 829-4450

Belgrade, MT (800) 422-9976

Billings, MT (800) 735-2589

Columbia Falls, MT (800) 434-4190

Missoula, MT (800) 332-1617

Bend, OR (800) 451-0269

Eugene, OR (800) 826-9811

Portland, OR (800) 950-7779

New I-5 Overpass, Interchange Open Near Military Base

A new southbound Interstate 5 interchange featuring an exit ramp, overpass and roundabout opened on Jan. 24, 2026, at Exit 119/Steilacoom-DuPont Road, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).

The work near Tacoma is part of the $240 million I-5 Mounts Road to Steilacoom-DuPont Road Corridor Improvements project. That project is widening the interstate and creating new HOV lanes designed to relieve chronic traffic congestion near Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

WSDOT awarded Guy F. Atkinson Construction a

design-build contract in April 2023, with construction beginning a few months later

With the new southbound I-5 exit (119) to Steilacoom-DuPont Road open, those going to DuPont will turn right toward the new roundabout, while those heading to Joint Base LewisMcChord will turn left and go over the overpass.

People on northbound I-5 going to DuPont or JBLM will continue to use the existing exit and the 1957 Steilacoom-DuPont overpass.

Travelers leaving DuPont for northbound I-5 will use the roundabout and new overpass.

People leaving DuPont Gate for northbound I-5 will yield to people traveling across the new overpass.

A new southbound Interstate 5 interchange with an exit ramp, overpass and roundabout opened at exit 119/Steilacoom-DuPont Road.

Coming this spring, the remainder of the new overpass will open to two-way traffic as a diverging diamond interchange. Crews later will demolish the 1950s-era overpass, which is classified in poor condition. It does not meet current vertical clearance standards for I-5.

The demolition will allow crews to make changes to open the I-5 HOV lanes. The lanes are anticipated to open during

late summer 2026. When complete, travelers will see HOV lanes between Mounts Road and Gravelly Lake Drive. The entire I-5 Mounts Road to Steilacoom-DuPont Road Corridor Improvements project is expected to be completed by late 2026. 

(All photos courtesy of the Washington State Department of Transportation.)

Granite Starts Building Asphalt Plant at Port of Woodland

Granite Construction began building a 20acre asphalt plant at the Port of Woodland’s Martin’s Bar South industrial site along the Columbia River, thereflector.com reported.

Granite plans to truck in rocks and other asphalt material at first, but Port Commissioner Bob Wile said the company eventually plans to seek state approval to bring in materials by barge. That would make the plant the first in the port’s 66-year history to use its deepwater access.

That would make the plant the first at the 66year-old port to use its deepwater access.

The new plant is replacing a plant in Vancouver, Wash., Granite spokesman Steve Hitzel told thereflector.com.

Publicly traded Granite is leasing from the port a 25-acre strip of land between the Columbia River and Dike Road west of the Woodland Bottoms.

Hitzel, who is leading the project for Granite, said the new site will enable the company to bid on more projects in the Longview area.

“Our main base of operations is over in (east Vancouver),” he told thereflector.com. “And with all the redevelopment and such going on there, our lease ending here a couple months ago, we've been looking for a new place for our asphalt plant.”

Granite signed in 2024 an 80-year lease in

Woodland, said Chris Herman, executive director of the Port of Woodland. It celebrated the groundbreaking of the $5 to $10 million project in January 2026

Hitzel said Granite plans to have the new plant operational by spring.

“The strategy here was we'd really only be out of commission during our offseason,” he told thereflector.com. “Really depends on the weather with making asphalt, but usually in the winter when it's wet, colder, we're not making as much.”

Hitzel said its Southwest Clean Air Agency permits would allow Granite to produce 400,000 tons of asphalt annually, even if they only do half that in a “really good year.”

Hitzel didn’t provide details on local tax implications or the number of jobs the project would create, although an average day of paving might take approximately 40 workers, according to thereflector.com.

Herman said Granite would pave Dike Access Road before operations begin.

“We're just looking forward to a long-term relationship here with the Port of Woodland and Woodland in general,” Hitzel told thereflector.com. “We're pretty excited for it. It's a big investment for our company, and we're looking forward to continuing some partnerships that we've started there.”

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Issue Closes February 25th

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Hires Multiple Contractors to Repair Roadways

FLOODING from page 1

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.

Granite Construction:

The line-up of Granite Construction’s heavy construction equipment tackling a section of U.S. 2 in northwest Washington includes:

(1) Cat 315 excavator

(1) Cat 325 excavator

(2) Cat 335F excavators

(1) John Deere 50G excavator

(2) Cat 938 loaders

(1) Cat Soil compactor

(1) Cat D5k dozer

(2) Cat AP655F asphalt paver

(2) Cat CB64 double drum rollers

(1) Cat CB24B double drum roller

(1) Cat CW34 pneumatic asphalt roller

(3) Truck-mounted attenuators for road closure/safety

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 midDecember 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.

TriMaxx Construction:

Cleaning up and restoring a portion of State Road 530 damaged by flooding from the Sauk River involved a fleet of heavy equipment from TriMaxx Construction:

2021 Cat 325-07 excavator

2025 Link-Belt 355X4S excavator

2025 Rotobec CG2315 grapple

2015 Cat 335 excavator

2017 Cat CB24B double drum roller

2019 Cat 926M wheel loader

2022 Cat 730 off-road truck

1998 Peterbilt 3406E dump truck

2003 Laymor 6HC street sweeper

2013 Cat XQ20-4 generator

2002 Cat 140H road grader

2004 Cat CS-533E 84-in. smooth drum roller

2017 Ford F350 Lariat Super Duty 4x4 pickup truck

2017 Ford F350 Lariat Super Duty 4x4 flatbed crew truck

2018 Ford F450 Lariat Super Duty 4x4 flatbed crew truck

2019 Ford F350 XL 4x4 Flatbed crew truck

Mount

Damages Expected at Up to $50M; 16 Contracts Issued

from page 8

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 simultane-

ously 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. 

The Enumclaw, Wash., School District’s board of directors hired on Jan. 20, 2026, John Korsmo Construction of Tacoma, Wash, to build a $65 million elementary school, according to courierherald.com.

In addition, the board selected Tacomabased TCF Architecture for design work.

The school’s construction has been delayed three times as the school district tried to fund it through bond issues that were rejected by voters.

Eventually, the district finalized a deal with Oakpointe, a housing developer building the Black Diamond Ten Trails community.

Courierherald.com reported that the deal between the district and a private developer is atypical, because developers don’t typically fund public facilities. But the outlet reported that interest in Ten Trails has lagged, in part because an elementary school was promised.

On Nov. 25, the Enumclaw School District facilitated the process by releasing its interest on a Ten Trails land plot that was

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District Teams With Developer... Washington School District Hires Contractor for New $65M School

originally expected to house a new high school and selling it to the developer for $40 million in cash, according to courierherald.com.

New student growth projections showed that Enumclaw High School will be adequate to handle incoming students for many years, ESD sold the land back to Oakpointe for $40 million in cash. That money, plus $25 million in financing to be repaid through mitigation fees, will pay for the project.

An additional $3 million from Oakpointe will go to build a new all-weather baseball field and an all-weather soccer field.

The school has yet to be named and is being referred to as “ESD Elementary #6,” according to courierherald.com.