What does SR 410 closure mean for skiing at Crystal Mountain, Greenwater shops?
A long stretch of State Route 410 between Enumclaw and Greenwater has been closed since Dec. 11, and local businesses along the route are feeling the impacts.
The closure came after last week’s heavy rain and historic flooding, with a portion of the road collapsing into Boise Creek, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. The route is closed from Farman Street North at milepost 25 in Enumclaw to west of Mud Mountain Dam Road at milepost 43 in Greenwater.
There is one emergency lane open with a temporary traffic light, but it’s only for local traffic and emergency vehicles, according to WSDOT communications manager R.B. McKeon.
Crystal Mountain Resort, which brings troves of visitors to the area, hasn’t been able to open because of the road closure, as well as a lack of sufficient snowfall.
More snow is coming, but the road’s status is up in the air.
“The road needs to be able to handle skier traffic, which we’re looking into right now,” said Linnea Hansen, vice president of marketing, sales and communications for the resort.
All non-essential staff at the resort has been asked to stay home for the time being, but Hansen said the mountain would be prepped and ready to open as soon as the conditions are right, and the road is back up and running.
“We’re still looking at what’s to come and how to serve the needs of our communities, be cognizant of safety and the emergency across the state,” Hansen said.
It’s been pretty quiet at other nearby businesses, too.
Mt. Rainier General Store & Towing in Greenwater usually experiences its busy season right about now, largely due to customers coming and going from Crystal Mountain. It might be a while before things pick up.
“It’s kind of a perfect storm for us,” said Brian Fahsholtz, the store’s owner. “The rain’s affecting business, specifically because there’s no snow ... And now the roads are getting washed out, so even people coming up for Christmas trees, campers — anybody just getting up into the mountains — their access is being cut off.”
There’s no timeline for getting that stretch of SR 410 back open, according to WSDOT. Because the flood damage was so widespread, McKeon said, the department has its hands full with other damaged state highways across Western Washington.
Sticking together during the wait
While businesses in the area wait for visitors, locals are trying to help where they can.
When the river started flooding, the facilities director at Crystal Mountain put a crew together to fill sandbags to protect people’s homes in the community, Hansen said. Everyone at the general store did the same.
“We’ve been taking a lot of our manpower that would normally be working at the store or within towing, and we’re putting our resources [toward] helping the firefighters shore up the levy,” Fahsholtz said.
The general store also cut all of its fuel prices to help locals fill up their generators, even though that meant losing thousands of dollars.
“We’re taking our lickings just like everybody else, but the people are fed, and the generators are still running, so we’re doing what we can,” Fahsholtz said.
