U.S. Route 2 in Washington

Infobox road
state=WA
type=US
route=2


maint=WSDOT
length_mi=326.22
length_ref=Washington State Department of Transportation, [http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/TDO/PDF_and_ZIP_Files/HwyLog2006.pdf State Highway Log] , 2006]
length_round=2
year_established=
direction_a=West
terminus_a=jct|state=WA|I|5 in Everett
junction=jct|state=WA|US|97 in Wenatchee
jct|state=WA|US|395 in Spokane
direction_b=East
terminus_b=jct|state=ID|US|2 towards Sandpoint, ID
previous_type=SR
previous_route=971
next_type=SR
next_route=3In the U.S. state of Washington, U.S. Route 2 is the northernmost all-weather highway through the Cascade Mountains. It runs from Everett east to the Idaho state line in Newport, crossing the Cascades at Stevens Pass and passing through Wenatchee and Spokane.

Route description

The westernmost point of US 2 is the city of Everett in Snohomish County.

From the highway's terminus at SR 529 in Everett, US 2 runs along California Street westbound and Hewitt Avenue eastbound.Endpoints of US highways: [http://www.geocities.com/usend0009/End002W/end002W.htm Western Segment] ] The roadway then ascends to a short freeway and has an interchange with Interstate 5 0.13 miles east of this terminus.

Leaving downtown Everett/I-5, the highway crosses the Snohomish River and goes across the river valley to the northern (compass east) side of the valley. It stays to the north of the river valley for 27.8 miles before it crosses the Skykomish River near Gold Bar.

East of Everett the highway skits around the community of Snohomish (it originally went through the community until a bypass was built in the later 1970s/early 1980s), before arriving in the community of Monroe. In Monroe, the highway is joined by the terminating SR 522, which is the major conduit to Stevens Pass and Leavenworth for the Seattle area population. Another state highway (SR 203) also terminates at US 2 near downtown Monroe and is within one mile of where SR 522 also terminates.

As the highway leaves Monroe to the east, it continues to follow a river valley, only now the river is known as the Skykomish River (one of two rivers that merge near Monroe to create the Snohomish River). The river is within a few feet of the highway on the eastern edge of Monroe.

The highway passes through the communities of Sultan, Startup, and Gold Bar, as the river valley narrows and climbs into the Cascade Mountains. As the highway leaves Gold Bar the character of the road changes to a climbing mountain highway that winds up an increasingly narrow river valley. It passes close to the community of Index, as well as a series of smaller and smaller hamlets. Just before reaching the town of Baring it crosses the county line into King County. As the highway continues up the valley it reaches the community of Skykomish, the last all-season community of any size until east of the Cascades.

Just to the east of Skykomish the river valley the highway is following changes to the Tye River valley. As the highway reaches Scenic, the location of the western portal of the longest railroad tunnel in the world (when it opened in 1929), the Cascade Tunnel, the final climb to Stevens Pass begins.

At the summit of Stevens Pass, elevation 4,061 feet, the highway crosses into Chelan County. Stevens Pass is the location of a world-class ski resort, accessible only by US 2. The Pacific Crest Trail crosses the highway at Stevens Pass.

US 2 then follows the Wenatchee River valley downstream, eventually passing over the Columbia River just north of Wenatchee. US 2 has a 13-mile concurrency with US 97, before turning east again, passing through sparsely populated areas on its way to Spokane. In Spokane, US 2 has an approximately 3 mile long concurrency with Interstate 90, before exiting at Division Street and passing through downtown. US 2 heads due north from downtown, eventually turning to the northeast and reaching the town of Newport. US 2 reaches the Idaho border immediately east of Newport.

Legally, the Washington section of U.S. 2 is defined at Washington Revised Code § 47.17.005. [ [http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=47.17.005 Washington Revised Code § 47.17.005] ]

History

The portion of US 2 from the west junction with US 97 near Wenatchee east to Spokane was originally part of the main highway east from Seattle, which turned north from Cle Elum over Blewett Pass. This was added to the state highway system by the legislature in 1909, as an extension of the Snoqualmie Pass road (State Road 7), and renamed the Sunset Highway (unnumbered) in 1913, then becoming State Road 2 in 1923 and Primary State Highway 2 in 1937. U.S. Route 10 was designated over the entire Sunset Highway from Seattle to Idaho east of Spokane in 1926., [http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/AFDDA538-123B-43F8-A166-B30BAA34C492/0/40yearsReport.pdf Forty Years With the Washington Department of Highways] , 1945]

The road now carrying US 2 from Spokane northeast to Newport (on the Idaho state line) was added in 1915 as State Road 23 and renamed the Pend Oreille Highway in 1917. It was extended, in 1921, north along the Pend Oreille River to the international boundary at Nelway, British Columbia and in 1923 the State Road 6 designation was assigned, becoming Primary State Highway 6 in 1937. The original section, from Spokane to Newport, became part of US 195 in 1926.Washington State Department of Transportation, [http://web.archive.org/web/20051106090227/http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/History/stateroads1893-1935.pdf State Roads as Established by Legislature] , 1893 to 1935]

Finally, the road over Stevens Pass, from Everett to west of Wenatchee (Peshastin to Everett, WA), was not added to the state highway system until 1931. That year, the Stevens Highway, State Road 15, was designated by the legislature; it became Primary State Highway 15 [ [http://www.angelfire.com/wa2/hwysofwastate/psh015.html Primary State Highway 15-Cascade Highway ] ] in 1937, but remained marked with only state highway shields until 1940. A branch was added in 1943 (as, also, Primary State Highway 15) branching from the main route near Monroe southwest to Bothell. In 1940, US 10 was shifted off the Sunset Highway between Cle Elum and Spokane, mainly onto existing Primary State Highway 18. At the same time, a new U.S. Route 10 Alternate was created, beginning at US 10 in Seattle and heading north along US 99 to Everett, then turning east via Stevens Pass and former US 10 to Spokane. After intersecting US 10 in Spokane, it turned northeast over US 195 via Newport to Sandpoint, Idaho, and continued east and southeast to US 10 near Missoula, Montana.Joann Roe, Stevens Pass: The Story of Railroading and Recreation in the North Cascades, Mountaineers Books, 1995, ISBN 0898863716, p. 139 ] [Washington Department of Highways, [http://www.secstate.wa.gov/history/maps_detail.aspx?m=29 Highways of the State of Washington] (Rand McNally), 1939]

In the late 1940s, most of US 10 Alternate became an extension of US 2 to Everett, which had formerly ended at Bonners Ferry, Idaho (north of Sandpoint, Idaho). US 10 Alternate remained east of Sandpoint, and has since become Idaho State Highway 200 and Montana Highway 200.)Rand McNally road atlas, 1946, pp. [http://www.broermapsonline.org/members/NorthAmerica/UnitedStates/NorthernRockies/randmcnally_ra_1946_014.html 16] and [http://www.broermapsonline.org/members/NorthAmerica/UnitedStates/Northwest/randmcnally_ra_1946_016.html 18] : shows US 10 Alternate in Washington] [Rand McNally [http://www.davidrumsey.com/detail?id=1-1-23824-920008&name=Road+map+United+States. Road
] , 1947] The Department of Highways began rebuilding the road over Stevens Pass in 1949, completing its work in 1951. In the 1964 renumbering, the Primary State Highway numbers were dropped, leaving only US 2 (and US 195 east of Spokane) on the highway. The Monroe-Bothell branch became SR 202, and then SR 522.) [Washington State Department of Transportation, [http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Library/History.htm Identification of State Highways] , December 1, 1965]

Major intersections

References