Bad Memorial Day News for the North Cascades Highway Closure

WSDOT released another update on the SR-20 closure near Diablo Lake today, and there are two things people need to know right away.

A Memorial Day weekend opening is off the table and not even close to happening. The Fourth of July is the goal, but there is a difference between a goal and a promise.

The North Cascades Highway will stay closed from milepost 130 to 156, and it is going to be that way until at least early July.

WSDOT Mustache Man Pushing a Boulder With His Back

Before we get into the timeline, let’s talk about what is actually happening on that slope right now because the video WSDOT released today is something else. A crew member is rappelling down the rock face above Diablo Lake. One worker is shown in the video with feet planted against the hill and back against a man-sized boulder.

He is pushing with everything he has until it breaks free and tumbles down below. Then he turns around with a smile even bigger than his mustache.

Hand tools, compressed air, and sheer muscle, a process called scaling, carefully working from the top of the slope to the bottom, and dislodging anything that could fall on its own terms later. You can tell from watching the video that it is a slow and dangerous job.

This is Why Repairs are Taking Longer Than US-2

People keep asking WSDOT why SR-20 is taking longer to repair than the US-2 Tumwater Canyon closure last December.

First, the higher elevations buried the damage under snow until March. Also, avalanche chutes limit the access for engineers, and the damage is spread across six miles on multiple sites, with a still undetermined amount of roadway beneath the surface.

It is a dozen problems stacked on top of each other at 2,170 feet and buried in snow. WSDOT plans a second emergency contract to be underway the week of May 11, with crews working 24 hours a day as long as conditions allow.

Seahawks Celebrate 60 – Seattle, Washington

Gallery Credit: Aj Brewster

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