SPR's Doug Nadvornick reports.
Washington transportation crews on Monday will begin their annual ritual of removing snow from a 37-mile stretch of the North Cascades Highway.
The effort usually takes four-to-six weeks.
State Route 20 is perhaps the most scenic east-west highway through the Washington Cascades. It’s also the most susceptible to heavy snow and avalanches. It’s why the state closes the highway late in the fall and reopens it in late spring.
Ryan Smith, the maintenance supervisor for the Washington Department of Transportation, based in Twisp, says huge piles of snow come barreling down the mountains, much of it through 27 designated avalanche chutes, and overwhelm the roadway below.