Date:  Thursday, February 26, 2009

Contact: Jeff Adamson, North Central Region Communications Manager, Wenatchee,
(509-) 667-2815, (509-) 669-8778 Cell. E-mail: adamsoj@wsdot.wa.gov
WSDOT Area 3 Maintenance Superintendent Dean Hills, Okanogan (509-) 826-7364

WENATCHEE – After a snow-cat trip over the snow-covered SR 20 North Cascades Highway on Monday, WSDOT avalanche and maintenance technicians have determined that the annual snow-clearing work could start in late March or early April. Crews discovered more avalanches than normal and in places they’ve never seen.

WSDOT crews started from the east closure point west of Mazama and traveled the 20 miles to Rainy Pass, assessing snow and avalanche conditions to determine when the snow clearing could likely begin.

“We expect to be able to free up the personnel and equipment we need for the reopening from Stevens Pass and other facilities by late March or early April,” said Okanogan Maintenance Superintendent Dean Hills, “Of course, weather, crew health and equipment availability or breakdowns can always change the plan.”

They encountered overcast skies, 27-degree temperatures and a trace of new snow. Only four-one hundredths (4/100ths) of an inch of precipitation had fallen in the previous 24 hours and most of that was rain. Avalanche Control Technician Mike Stanford said they found only moderate snow depths. “The flat snow at Washington Pass summit is only five and a half feet deep." (Seven to nine feet is more typical). "The Avalanche cycle we encountered in December left some interesting debris on the road. Some of slides look like lava,” said Stanford. “More snow and slides could affect how long the reopening will take. It depends on the weather we get this spring - cool and clear, or warm and wet.”

The largest slides are below Liberty Bell Mountain, just east of Washington Pass. SR 20 passes directly under the avalanche zone, and then loops back to the east around what’s called Spiral Gulch.

“The snow is 20-feet deep and stretches 1,200-feet across the pavement below Liberty Bell chutes #2 and #3, across the gulch in an area called the Annex.” said Stanford. “The main Liberty Bell Avalanche chutes are 40 feet to 50 feet deep over the roadway, which is normal for this time of year.”

Further east, slides in the Cutthroat Ridge zone, are as much as 20 feet deep and 1,200 to 1,500 feet wide.

Another anomaly for this season is a 20-foot deep slide near Bridge Creek, between Rainy and Washington Passes.

“I haven’t seen debris on the road here in 18 years,” said Stanford.

The highway was closed for the season on Dec. 11. Last spring, the highway reopened on May 1. Visit the WSDOT Flickr photo page to view pictures from the assessment: www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot/sets/72157614387037548/.

For more information, visit the SR 20 North Cascades Highway web page:
www.wsdot.wa.gov/Traffic/Passes/NorthCascades/

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