Editor's note: The above video on mountain passes closing originally aired November 10, 2021.
NORTH CASCADE, Wash. - It’s a Washington state tradition that marks the passage of each year and the changing seasons.
The stretch of State Route 20 that runs over the Cascade mountain range, more commonly known as the North Cascades Highway, was closed ahead of winter last year, as it does every year.
Now with summer approaching, crews are out working to reopen the scenic stretch of roadway.
Having been closed since Nov. 10, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) crews began their work to clear and reopen the North Cascades Highway on Monday, March 28.
Various things affect the spring clearing plan, including the amount of snow accumulated on and around the roadway, the type of snow, and spring weather patterns.
Two crews, the maintenance group and the avalanche crew, gather for assessments and review conditions together.
The avalanche crew looks for how much snow has accumulated in areas where avalanches will likely start and check for any debris that might need to be cleared.
The maintenance crew looks at other areas outside of a potential avalanche’s path.
“Hard-packed snow or snow filled with rock and debris cannot be cleared with blowers and requires loaders to remove the snow and materials one bucket load at a time,” writes Lauren Loebsack with WSDOT.
Additionally, crews look at any vegetation and trees barely handing to the mountainsides and work with the forest service to remove them.
On Monday, crews began by clearing out the snow near the Early Winters campground. They will work west, but Loebsack warns that it is still difficult to know how long the clearing efforts will take wince each year is slightly different, but it usually takes about four to six weeks.
“Our crews and contractor will make every effort to expedite this work and return the road to normal operations, however, some of our work is dependent on variables beyond our control such as cooperation from the weather,” Loebsack wrote.
Travelers should also look out for work on the west side of the northern Cascades between Marblemount and Newhalem where crews are working to repair a roadway that was washed out in floodwaters in November last year.