NEWHALEM, Wash. — The scenic North Cascades Highway (SR 20) closes every season for snow, but this year, it was shut down a little bit longer due to damage from December’s historic flooding.
The second of two emergency repair projects for the flooding damage is expected to finish a week ahead of schedule, and the North Cascades Highway will fully reopen by Friday, June 19, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
The section of SR 20 between Ross Dam Trailhead and Porcupine Creek has been closed after the highway experienced several washouts and collapses in December.
There was also a rockslide near Diablo Lake several months later that impacted the highway.
According to WSDOT, necessary repairs along this 6-mile section of highway included:
- Three locations where the embankment supporting the roadway needed to be rebuilt
- More than 1,000 feet of lane that was undermined or collapsed
- Approximately 2 miles of damaged or collapsed asphalt shoulder
- Approximately 3 miles of damaged ditch line
- More than 1,000 feet of damaged guardrail and concrete barrier
- About 15 damaged or buried culverts