SR 20/North Cascades Highway reopens following fire, mudslide closures

A portion of State Route 20 (SR 20)/North Cascades Highway closed since Aug. 4 due to area wildfires and a major mudslide reopened Thursday afternoon, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) reported in a press release and on social media.

The roadway was closed between Granite Creek and Easy Pass trailhead (milepost 148-157), the agency stated.

(1/2) Without further ado, SR 20 North Cascades Highway has reopened between Granite Creek and Easy Pass trailhead (milepost 148-157).

First things first: a big thank you to the hard working crew that cleared about 7000 tons of mud and debris since the mudslide on Aug. 11! 👏 pic.twitter.com/TXGuToik1t

— WSDOT East (@WSDOT_East) August 22, 2024

SR 20 closed in that area on the morning of Aug. 4 due to the Easy Fire. That blaze was ignited in the middle of July after a lightning strike, as the federal government website inciweb.wildfire.gov explained.

Evergreen State Fair attendees, take note: US 2 collision caused traffic backups

While that portion of the North Cascades Highway was closed as crews fought the Easy Fire, WSDOT reported in an X post that a significant mud slide following a rainstorm on Aug. 11 covered at least 100 feet of the highway near milepost 152 and that it was going to take about two days to clean up. A day later on Aug. 13, the agency stated in another X post it was changing the estimated cleanup time to “several more days.”

WSDOT followed through on its previous social post and provided an update on Monday. But it didn’t announce the reopening of the highway. Instead, the agency illustrated how much mud and water reached the roadway and how much work was being put into the cleanup.

(1/3) North Cascades **Aug. 19 UPDATE**: Still a lot to do cleaning up debris on SR 20 North Cascades Highway, and the road remains closed between Granite Creek and Easy Pass trailhead (milepost 148-157) for a few more days. How many days? Tough to say… @OkaWenNF @wspd6pio pic.twitter.com/1gbMtXxIJm

— WSDOT East (@WSDOT_East) August 19, 2024

The cleanup has since been completed and WSDOT reported approximately 7,000 tons of material needed to be cleared to make the highway drivable again.

Chokepoints content: What happens to a Washington ferry after it’s retired?

SR 20 has reopened: What’s to come in that area

SR 20 may have reopened, but the agency is reminding travelers fire crews are continuing to work in the area in response to the Easy Fire. The InciWeb website reported that as of late Friday, the size of the Easy Fire was still over 2,100 acres and it was just 36% contained.

WSDOT also stated a 35 mph advisory speed zone has been posted between milepost 150 and 154 of the roadway. In addition, there are no pullouts or passing through in this section. Travelers should remain alert for fire and maintenance vehicles exiting and entering the roadway, the agency also stated.

WSDOT also reported in its press statement that beginning at 7 a.m. Monday “there will be flagger-controlled traffic with a pilot car between milepost 150 and 154 so maintenance crews can continue to clear basins and restore drainage.” The road will remain open without a pilot car during non-working hours.

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, or email him here.