Local News

Forecasted winter weather brings temporary closure of SR 20 North Cascades Highway

Nov 02, 2017

For the second time during this snowy fall, State Route 20/North Cascades Highway will temporarily close for the safety of crews and travelers due to forecasted overnight and weekend snow, along with an increased risk of avalanches.

Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews will close the gates at milepost 134 in Diablo and 171 in Mazama at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2.

While WSDOT hopes to reopen the gates again this season, the weather will determine if it’s possible. The steep peaks along this scenic highway have dozens of avalanche chutes that can quickly fill up with unstable snow – creating an unsafe situation for crews working or people driving along this stretch.

Crews also temporarily closed the highway last month due to heavy snow near Rainy and Washington passes.