WASHINGTON STATE, MAY 26: The North Cascades Highway State Route 20 has a planned opening of June 25th, the latest in the highway’s 54-year existence according to the Washington State Dept. of Transportation.
The key delay issue involves damage repair from several washouts and rockslide from last December’s and again March’s heavy rainfall. The roadway has already been cleared of winter season snow. Road repair crews continue to clear and stabilize the rockslide around milepost 130. Up to 200 feet of debris buried the roadway.
The highway’s extended closure has already adversely impacted commerce in the Methow valley where businesses count on Memorial Day weekend visitors. With the highway planned to reopen by June 25th, those businesses will have Fourth of July weekend and the rest of the summer season to economically bounce back.
The highway usually reopens in mid to late April. Its earliest opening was March 10th in 2005 and as late as June 14th in 1974. Last year, the highway reopened on April 22nd.
For the latest road conditions and closures including the North Cascades Highway, motorists can use the WSDOT mobile app, the mountain passes page, the live travel map, or by subscribing to email alerts and updates.
By June 25th, the North Cascades Highway is expected to have a safe reopening and offer another alternative to and from Eastern Washington.
Early this decade, the highway joined the group of National Scenic Byways in the state. The other Byways include both the Chinook Scenic and White Pass Byways near Mount Rainier, Strait of Juan de Fuca Highway, the Coulee Corridor Scenic Byway, and the Mountains to Sound Greenway along Interstate 90. For more information about National Scenic Byways in Washington State and across the nation, visit https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/byways/
