Jump to content

SR 20 is fawked


ivan

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 26
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Closed indefinitely due to 8 impressive mud/rock slides near Swamp Creek that have completely buried the road.

 

What does that mean? They don't know when it will reopen, or DOT is giving up and letting the north cascades return to their pre highway wildness.

 

Eric

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know this area at all so maybe someone can answer this for me. I was planning to head into Mazama this weekend and while there head over to Liberty Bell, is it time to make new plans or can I access these areas?

 

Thanks in advance,

Jeb

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Copied from nwhikers.net

 

 

Message from WSDOT 2pm Monday

(check out some of the photos in the flickr link - that's a lot of mud)

 

The North Cascades Highway closed Saturday night (officially) at 9:30 p.m. (even though, it was probably closed an hour or so earlier - it just took that long for news of 2 mud slides to get from the drivers to the WSP to us from that area that has no cell phone coverage). The slides happened a few miles west of Rainy Pass. Yes, there were a couple vehicles trapped between the slides, but no one got hurt and both parties got out safely, (sorry, I don't have the details yet about the VW or the pickup and camper they were driving.)

 

Anyway, by mid day on Sunday, instead of two slides, We were dealing with 8 of them. The largest (at the time was a quarter mile long and 25 feet deep- could be bigger, now.) It's going to take days, if not longer to reopen. We know that we're going to have to have help in the form of private contractors with the larger equipment and the people it's going to take to get this job done.

 

Despite the difficulties in communication (even a satellite phone doesn't work in a lightning storm up there), and the distances involved, The maintenance supervisor (Don Becker who also oversees the spring reopenings) took some pictures that we now have posted on FlickR:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot/sets/72157635037166187/with/9496492120/

 

Until the hillsides stabilize and our environmental, geotechnical and maintenance experts can put together a clean up plan (They're working to do that right now), don't plan on using the North Cascades to get between the Skagit and Methow Valleys.

 

I guess if there's any good news, it's that we put in those extra closure gates two years ago, so from the east side, you can drive all the way to Rainy Pass, accessing any of the campgrounds, trailheads, etc. before encountering a barricade across the roadway.

 

Pass this along to whomever you'd like, so any help you can provide to get the word to folks who planned to use SR 20 is appreciated.

 

Thanks!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...