This mountain pass just opened, but your road trip will take longer
Washington state’s northernmost mountain pass opened after its winter closure last week, but damage from seasonal storms and flooding will delay travelers on the scenic North Cascades Highway through summer.
North Cascades Highway, also known as Highway 20 or State Route 20, connects the Skagit Valley on the west side of the mountains with the Methow Valley on the east side.
But road work east of Sedro-Woolley and from Marblemount to Newhalem will slow travelers, the Washington State Department of Transportation said in an online preview of planned repairs.
“WSDOT crews and contractors will be making emergency repairs, performing important maintenance and preservation work and fish passage construction this year, with more work to come in the years ahead,” WSDOT said.
“As you plan your travels across this scenic highway this year, please take a look at the work we are doing so that you can plan ahead,” WSDOT said.
Meanwhile, traffic controls remain in place between Marblemount and Newhalem that was damaged in the November 2021 flooding and freezing, WSDOT told The Bellingham Herald via Twitter direct message. That section of road at milepost 113.7 is a single lane with a temporary traffic signal.
Later this summer, crews will lay an asphalt sealer and repair and fill potholes along a section of the highway from Sedro-Wolley to Concrete, where emergency repairs were made earlier this year.
Eastbound and westbound traffic will alternate through a single lane with flaggers directing traffic through the area, WSDOT said.
