'We've seen this coming': Sky Valley plans for next Bolt Creek-scale fire
SULTAN — Skykomish River valley residents have known for a long time that their stretch of U.S. 2 was a looming problem.
With its aging asphalt, narrow shoulders and washed-out bridges, the main corridor connecting rural Snohomish County towns to critical services is overdue for improvements. The nearly 15,000-acre Bolt Creek fire, which raged near the highway for weeks starting Sept. 10, brought new urgency to questions that have long been on the back burner.
At a roundtable discussion Thursday in Sultan, local officials from around the valley sought support from federal lawmakers for an ambitious overhaul of U.S. 2 that planners say could save lives if — or when — another emergency threatens their communities.
U.S. Reps. Kim Schrier and Suzan DelBene and U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, along with state and county lawmakers, met with emergency managers and the mayors of small towns at Bubba’s Roadhouse, a bar and grill in Sultan. The small, family-owned operation usually gets most of its traffic from travelers on U.S. 2, but it has seen a dramatic decline in revenue during weeks of intermittent closures along the highway, said owner Bubba Deach. He’s expecting his troubles will only get worse as fire seasons intensify in the coming years.
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/weve-seen-this-coming-sky-valley-plans-for-next-bolt-creek-scale-fire/
