Great News! WA's North Cascades Highway Reopens

Let the Scenic Drives Begin: the North Cascades are Calling!

It's the best news ever for motorists as the North Cascades Highway (SR 20) has reopened.

On November 18th, 2024, WSDOT closed the highway between Ross Dam Trailhead (milepost 134) on the west side and Silver Star gate (milepost 171) on the east side due to snow and avalanche risk. The highway ropened on Tuesday.

READ MORE: FTC Warning Washingtonians "Don't Fall for Unpaid Toll Text"

WSDOT crews spent the last several weeks clearing snow and avalanche debris while making pavement and guardrail repairs.

WSDOT Has a Couple of Important Reminders for Travelers:

• There is NO cell service through the mountain passes.
• Look out for maintenance crews.
• Most United States Forest Service and National Park Service facilities remain closed at this time.
• Be prepared to encounter construction work on the route throughout the season.
• Turn on your headlights, stay alert for outhe motorists, motorcyclists, and bicycles.

Avoid Surprises, Always Check WSDOT Road Conditions Before Leaving.

A good rule of thumb is to view current road and travel conditions on the WSDOT Real Time Map.

State Route 20 is Washington's Longest Highway.

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The highway is 436 miles in length from U.S. 101 at Discovery Bay to US 2 near the Idaho state border in Newport. According to Wikipedia:

The highway travels across Whidbey Island, North Cascades National Park, the Okanagan Highland, the Kettle River Range, and the Selkirk Mountains. SR 20 connects several major north–south state highways, including Interstate 5 (I-5) in Burlington, US 97 through the Okanogan–Omak area, SR 21 in Republic, and US 395 from Kettle Falls to Colville.

LOOK: The longest highways in America

Stacker compiled a list of the longest interstates in the United States using 2021 data from the Federal Highway Administration. Read on to find out which ones are the lengthiest.

Gallery Credit: Hannah Lang

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

Gallery Credit: Sophia Crisafulli