February 20, 2004
Today we had an avalanche assessment.
We found nothing that would interfere with a normal spring reopening effort for the North Cascades Highway. Snow accumulations were some of the lowest ever encountered and avalanche chutes were mostly empty.
March 8-12, 2004
WSDOT crews started the effort to reopen the North Cascades Highway on Monday, March 8. Seven miles of the highway from Early Winters Campground Information Center (MP 178) to Silver Star Gate (MP 171) is clear of snow and open to the public.
March 15-19, 2004
The most challenging and dangerous section of the North Cascades Highway that has to be opened each spring was cleared this week. Twisp maintenance crew members and region avalanche control technicians successfully cleared the largest avalanche zone below Liberty Bell Mountain and reached the summit of Washington Pass on Thursday. On Monday, work began at avalanche chute, Cutthroat #8, near the west end of Cutthroat Ridge. By Thursday, crews had cleared at least a single-lane, cut five miles to the summit of Washington Pass past Spiral Gulch and the Liberty Bell #1, 2, 3, and 4 avalanche chutes below Liberty Bell Mountain.
March 22-26, 2004
Wednesday afternoon, March 24th, the two WSDOT maintenance crews working to open SR-20, the North Cascades Highway, met just west of Rainy Pass. “There’s bare pavement from Newhalem to Mazama,” said Okanogan Maintenance Superintendent Dan Gates, “ Now, the widening and trimming phase begins.” That work will take longer than past years, said Gates, “We found there was a lot of rain in November and December that buried rocks and trees in the snow.” “We can’t use the snow blowers and will continue the widening using front end loaders.” Gates says that crews will also have to reopen culverts under the highway that got clogged with rocks, mud and trees, “So we won’t experience water over the roadway and more washouts this spring. We also found several places where we’re going to have to patch and repave before the highway can open to traffic.
March 29 - April 2, 2004
The widening work over SR 20, the North Cascades Highway, was completed this week and maintenance crews will be repairing and patching pavement and continuing culvert clearing work next week. Damage from last falls flooding needs repair in many areas west of Rainy Pass to Granite Creek, where mud, rocks and undercutting of the roadway surface were found under the snow as the crew cleared the highway. Contractors that rebuilt the sections of the highway that were washed out by last October and November’s storms were back to those sites this week to install guardrail and begin application of asphalt pavement and striping, so the highway can reopen to traffic. That work continues next week.
"Considering what our crews went through this winter, this spring opening is impressive," said WSDOT assistance regional administrator Todd Harrison. "The damage caused by flooding and rockslides was extraordinary. Many people thought that the highway wouldn't open at all this summer. Despite all of the hardships, we are opening the highway two weeks earlier than normal.”
Ordinarily, the annual reopening effort takes about two months. That wasn't the case this year. The reopening effort took exactly one month, March 8 to April 8, thanks to maintenance crews' hard work, a low snow pack, few avalanche threats, and cooperative weather. “The North Cascades Highway is opening about a month earlier than normal,” said WSDOT Okanogan Maintenance Superintendent Dan Gates. “The washed out sections are rebuilt, the paving is done, the snow avalanche danger is low and it’s safe to open to the public.”
April 8, 2004
The North Cascades Highway (State Route 20) will reopen to traffic at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, April 8, despite widespread flooding and massive rockslides that destroyed the highway, caused millions of dollars of damage, and forced the highway’s earliest closure ever.