WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The North Cascades Highway is facing a muddy timeline for its reopening.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) says it still has a lot of cleaning up to do after heavy rainfall caused a mudslide on Aug. 14 that sent around 7,000 tons of mud onto the highway.
Crews initially predicted it would take two days to clear the debris, which has piled up to 10 ft deep in some areas.
Following that estimate, WSDOT issued an update on Aug. 19 saying the road would remain closed for a few more days, but explained it is hard to estimate how much longer they need to finish clearing debris.
There has also been a lot of rocks in the mud—some as large as boulders—that have slowed their work down.
The nine-mile closure of the North Cascades Highway remains in effect from milepost 148 at Granite Creek to milepost 157 at the Easy Pass trailhead.
WSDOT is advising drivers to take US 2 or I-90 for east-to-west travel.
