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North Cascades Highway open May 10

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Photo courtesy Washington State Department of Transportation

State Highway 20, which connects Whatcom and Skagit counties with Eastern Washington, is set to open tomorrow.

Washington State Department of Transportation announced on Twitter that North Cascades Highway will reopen at 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 10. The highway is Washington’s northernmost mountain pass and connects the Skagit Valley with the Methow Valley through North Cascades National Park.

Every year SR 20 closes around mid-November for the winter, and WSDOT typically reopens the mountain pass in early May. Last year, it closed November 10.

Winter recreationists can still access the closed portion of the highway during winter. WSDOT asks hikers, skier and snowmobilers to park in designated parking areas to allow plow drives the space they need to clear snow around the closed road’s access gates.

WSDOT crews began clearing the road March 28. The six-week process consists of clearing some eight feet of snow and repairing damaged portions of the road.

“It was a weird season with more snow at the end than we had in the beginning, but the clearing team stayed persistent,” WSDOT tweeted May 9. “How about some applause for the hard working crew!”