March 1, 2000
Northwest Region crews began clearing snow the last week of February working eastward toward 4,855 foot Rainy Pass. North Central Region crews began March 6 from Early Winters westward toward Washington Pass.
In its 27 years, the North Cascades has re-opened once in March, 18 times in April, 6 times in May, and once in June. Typically avalanches close the roadway in late November (13 times) or early December (11 times). In 1990, the road remained open until January 9.

Area 3 Maintenance Superintendent, Dan Gates, in Okanogan says crews will continue to widen and "clean up" for the next two days in preparation for opening the gates above Diablo Dam on the west, and above Early Winters near Winthrop on the east. Gates said that NCR Avalanche Control technicians determined the snow pack stable and safe to accommodate this near-record "early" opening. Snow depths were significantly less than last year when the pass did not open until May 5.

The earliest opening date was recorded in 1993 when the roadway was opened on March 24. Since the highway was built in 1973, it has closed every year with the exception of the unusual winter of '76-'77 when it never closed at all. Last winter, the road was closed by avalanches on December 2, and officially closed December 6.

Tuesday, March 28, 2000
WSDOT Maintenance crews working to clear the North Cascades Highway for the past 4 weeks met near the summit of 5,477 foot Washington Pass on Monday, and will re-open the roadway for traffic at 11:00 AM on Thursday, March 30.