Work to reopen Highway 20 over North Cascades continues

Highway 20 over the North Cascades is getting close to reopening.

According to a Thursday news release from the state Department of Transportation, the eastside and westside crews clearing the highway of snow met Tuesday at milepost 157.

Clearing of the highway began March 23.

Despite the progress toward reopening the highway, it remains officially closed to traffic until repairs can be made.

According to the release, the road surface is rough and has compact snow and ice still in some places, and drainages have not been cleared so if there's rain, there may be mud, dirt/snow slides, or run-off on the roadway.

Also, on Wednesday night there was 13 inches of fresh snow at Rainy Pass and seven inches at Washington Pass. The plan was to remove the new snow over the weekend.

This year, there are a couple of other factors that must be dealt with before the highway is reopened.

The release states that there is a large rockslide at milepost 134, and washouts between mileposts 142 and 146. Emergency repairs are in the planning stages, and both these areas will be active work zones seven days a week.

The Department of Transportation is asking those who use the area for recreation to avoid the area beyond the annual closure point of the North Cascades Highway at Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) until safe roadway conditions are reestablished.

The release states that there are multiple damaged areas beyond the gates that require repair, and that until repairs are completed, this is not the area for bicycling, snowmobiling, snowshoeing or any other outdoor activity.

Crews will continue to work to reopen the highway between 6 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

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This story was originally published April 19, 2026 at 7:18 AM.