road closure of hwy 20 - Dec. 27 - 29, MP 121

[genepires]

For those interested on going out that way during xmas break or whatever, the DOT will be closing the hwy to install culverts or something. So don't bother trying to get past which is around 13 miles from where the road is closed for winter anyway. Looks like this work is east of cascade pass though.

 

gene

 

 

 

All SR 20 Lanes Closed Next Week in Whatcom County

Date: Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Contact: Dustin Terpening, Public Information Officer, (360) 757-5997 (Burlington)

Dave Crisman, Project Engineer, (360) 428-1593 (Mount Vernon)

Mark Hammer, Asst. Project Engineer, (360) 428-1593 (Mount Vernon)

 

 

BURLINGTON - WSDOT and its contractor Wilder Construction will close all lanes of State Route 20 east of Newhalem in Whatcom County next week to install two new five-foot diameter concrete culverts under the highway. The new culverts will help funnel water from Falls Creek under SR 20 and into the Skagit River.

 

Closures

· Tuesday, Dec. 27 - Thursday, Dec. 29: crews will close all lanes of SR 20 at Falls Creek (milepost 121.5) from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. daily.

· Crews will maintain access for emergency vehicles during the closures.

 

There are no detours. Drivers should plan accordingly.

 

Currently, SR 20 is closed for the winter at milepost 134, 13 miles east of our construction zone. WSDOT closes the North Cascades Pass every year for the winter due to snow and avalanche danger.

 

Installing the new culverts now is crucial to completing other phases of the project and finishing construction before the North Cascades Pass opens in spring 2006.

 

Once the culverts are in place, crews will finish building a rock wall between the ditch and the road. The rock wall will further help protect the road and drivers from falling rocks.

 

This work is part of a larger $13 million project to protect drivers passing through this rockslide prone area. We are currently building a large rock-catching ditch and a 21-foot high berm to protect drivers from future rockslides.

 

For more details about the project and to see pictures of the ditch, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr20/rockslideditch.

[John Frieh]

No changes to the east side closure though it sounds like.

 

Thanks for the info Gene!

[Bug]

Newhalem is past Marblemount so the Cascade river road should still be open.

Or has anyone heard of anything blocking the road on the way to the Cascade Pass TH?