WSDOT Begins Clearing North Cascades Scenic Highway For Travel – Methow Valley News

Snow removal starting earlier than last year

Crews have begun the annual clearing of the North Cascades Highway, a welcome sign that spring has truly arrived in the Methow Valley.

Clearing began on Monday (March 28), and the work of opening up the highway usually takes four to six weeks. Last year clearing began on April 5, and the North Cascades Highway opened on May 5. It closed on Nov. 10, 2021.

Crews from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) assessed the conditions on the highway last week to evaluate avalanche risk, the depth of slides on the highway, debris brought down in avalanche chutes, and overall snow conditions and depth.

The crews also identified hazard trees still hanging on the mountainsides above the highway and will work with the U.S. Forest Service to safely remove them, said Lauren Loebsack, WSDOT communications manager for North Central Washington.

“The avalanche crew determined the snow depth in the avalanche paths is normal to below average and the condition of the snow is soft,” which allowed work to begin this week, Loebsack said.

Keeping up with the work There is no longer a specific webpage for the North Cascades, so the best ways to follow this story are: • North Cascades Highway Newsletter through GovDelivery. Sign up at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/WADOT/subscriber/new. • WSDOT Facebook (www.facebook.com/WSDOT) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/wsdot) accounts. • Pictures of the clearing effort are available on Flickr, at www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot/albums/72177720297687450.

Many factors

“There are many factors that shape the spring clearing plan, from the amount and type of snow in the avalanche paths, to spring weather patterns and balancing the schedule with other important spring maintenance in the area,” Loebsack said.

“Crews started clearing this week, beginning with grading out the berm at Early Winters campground at milepost 178 and will work west,” Loebsack said.

The amount of time required to open the highway varies from year to year. “Spring storms could redirect crews back to plowing snow elsewhere and avalanche slides may be dirtier than expected,” Loebsack said.

The earliest opening of the highway in the past 10 years was April 3 in 2015. The latest opening in the past decade was May 16 in 2017.

Heavy equipment is rented each year for the clearing effort, including D8 and D6 Caterpillar bulldozers. Other equipment may also be needed, including graders, loaders, excavators and blowers.

West side work

Once the highway opens, travelers should be aware of work on the west side of the North Cascades between Marblemount and Newhalem. Remaining repair work from a November 2021 flood that washed out the roadway near milepost 113 has reduced travel to a single lane with a signal. This is expected to cause some delays during peak summer travel, WSDOT said.

Anticipated repair work includes constructing a new stabilizing wall in the area.

“This project is still in design and work will be highly dependent on conditions, meaning we don’t know when the project will be complete and both lanes open,” Loebsack said. “Be sure to keep that in mind when planning your travel over the North Cascades Highway this year,” she advised.