Chumstick Highway at Beaver Hill expected to reopen Saturday

PLAIN — Chumstick Highway at Beaver Hill near Plain is expected to reopen by Saturday, Oct. 17, after a three-week closure for landslide repairs, Chelan County Public Works said.

The contractor expected to finish the new retaining wall early this week and then rebuild the roadway. The road has been fully closed since Sept. 28, with detours on either side.

The $790,000 project extends a retaining wall the county built in 2016 by 150 feet. It also stabilizes nearby slopes with fill and new guardrail between mileposts 12.3 and 12.4. A slide happened just past the existing wall during the December 2025 storm, and the road had to close temporarily. Federal emergency relief funds and county road funds are paying for the work.

Starting Tuesday, county crews will also crack seal Chumstick Highway from the top of Beaver Hill toward Leavenworth, and they will brush and ditch along the road. Drivers should expect one-lane, flagger-controlled traffic with minor delays.