SR 20 clean-up efforts to last through the weekend

In case you were thinking of taking SR 20 over the pass to the west side of the state, time to rethink that strategy.

State Department of Transporation workers will have to remove about 20 football fields worth of mud from the highway after last weekend's storms.

From the DOT:

RAINY PASS – A team of two dozen Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance workers and contractors are working to clear a six mile stretch of the North Cascades Highway (State Route 20) that was buried by a series of eight mudslides this past weekend.

With more rain in the forecast, crews are preparing for the possibility of additional landslides that could prolong the closure of the North Cascades Highway. Methow Valley-bound drivers should plan to take an alternate route at least until Monday, Aug. 19. WSDOT crews will continue working through the weekend and provide updates as information becomes available.

Assuming no new slides, WSDOT maintenance and contractor crews still have about 20 football field’s worth of soil, boulders and trees to remove. Once the road is cleared, additional drainage work as well as guardrail and pavement repair must be completed before the road can be reopened to drivers.

Alternate route information

Drivers looking to head across the Cascades should use either US 2 Stevens Pass or Interstate 90 Snoqualmie Pass, and stay up to date on current conditions.

Heavy rain, hail and high winds caused eight mudslides between milepost 149 and 155, just west of Rainy Pass. Portions of the highway were buried in debris at depths ranging from 3 to 25 feet.