Highway 20 opening this week

[marylou]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: March 8th, 2005

Contacts: WSDOT NCRegion Communications Mgr. Jeff Adamson –Wenatchee- 509.667.2815

E-mail: AdamsoJ@wsdot.wa.gov

 

WSDOT NWRegion Public Information Officer Dustin Terpening – Burlington- 360.757.5997

E-mail: Terpenid@wsdot.wa.gov

 

SR 20 North Cascades Highway to Open at 11:00 a.m. Thursday

 

 

 

WENATCHEE – March 10th marks the earliest-ever spring reopening of the North Cascades Highway. “While it never closed during the ’76-’77 drought,” said WSDOT Twisp Maintenance Supervisor Don Becker, “The crew is very pleased to beat the old record by nearly two weeks.”

 

The previous earliest opening was March 22nd, 2001. Ten days from start to finish is a new record for clearing the highway. “Travelers will find bare and dry or bare and wet pavement over the entire route,” said Becker. Crews have been working continuously since Monday, February 28th to remove layers of ice that covered most of the 34-mile closure zone. “Usually, it’s a giant snow removal effort below avalanche zones,” said Becker, “This year, that was the easy part due to the small amount of snow. The challenge turned out to be breaking through miles of ice that was 2 to 14 deep and firmly bonded to the pavement.” “A combination of equipment fitted with special ice-cutting bits, use of crystalline deicer applications and warm temperatures are all aiding the effort,” said Becker, “This is the first time we’ve been able to set a reopening time this far in advance, but with no avalanche threat, it’s predictable.”

 

 

 

Over the last six years, the re-opening effort has begun between February 29th and March 18th. Over that same six-year period, the pass has reopened for traffic between March 22nd and May 7th. The latest opening was June 14th, 1974. The re-opening effort has taken as little as four weeks to as many as eight. Updates and photos of the spring reopening are posted on the WSDOT SR 20 web page: www.wsdot.wa.gov/northcascades

 

 

 

When the highway reopens, travelers will encounter delays as construction on a rock containment ditch between Newhalem and Diablo. A massive rockslide there, destroyed SR 20 on November 9, 2003. The rockslide left the hillside above the highway extremely unstable and blocked access to the town of Diablo. Thanks to a mild winter, crews began work Tuesday, February 22nd, at Falls Creek, west of Diablo. One of the two lanes will be closed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and flaggers will alternate traffic on the open lane through the work zone. To complete the project by this fall, crews will work during daylight hours, six days a week, Monday through Saturday.

[Squid]