Getting closer:
Hi all,
East met West about 11 o’clock this morning at Bridge Creek (MP 159.5)!
I still can’t give you a specific day or time for the reopening, but midday on Thursday is looking better and better after today.
The two Kodiak snow blower operators – Bob Hopfield from the west and Jesse Gurney from the east, completed a single cut through the 1-1/2 miles that separated them in about four hours. Yes, there are photos posted on flickR taken by Twisp Supervisor Don Becker who then used his pickup to give you a feel for just how wide a single cut really is (or isn’t!) and how deep some of the drifts were in the neighborhood below the Whistler Mountain avalanche chutes. www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot/sets/72157629681048559/
The rest of the next couple days will be devoted to the widening, initially the section opened today from Whistler (MP 160.5) to Rainy Pass (MP 157). There’s still pull-outs that need to be cleared, ditching that needs to happen so the melting snow doesn’t flood the highway and some guardrail that suffered slide damage that all has to happen before the reopening. Wednesday, the avalanche crew is going to do their thing to bring down any snow still in the chutes that three days of warm weather may have loosened.
It’s likely the two can meet on Monday, if weather and equipment cooperate, but the progress points are only a single snow blower wide (about 8’), so there’s lots of widening, ditching and guardrail repair before it’s ready for traffic.
While it’s legal for bicycles to use the highway because they’re not licensed motor vehicles – crews from both sides tell us it’s getting crowded up there (heaviest traffic on the west side) and it’s a big concern for our operators since bikes are hard to spot in the mirrors of a loader or a blower. The widening, ditching, guardrail and jersey barrier work is going on all day Tuesday and with avalanche blasting planned for Wednesday (along with the necessary clean up) – this is just not a good time to bicycle the North Cascades – Wait for Thursday!
As I said Friday = Think cinnamon rolls and 49er Days and keep your fingers crossed!
