Mudslide closes North Cascades Highway

Published 3:17 pm Thursday, July 30, 2009

WENATCHEE — The Transportation Department says a series of recent thunderstorms triggered the mudslide that closed the North Cascades Highway near Rainy Pass.

Spokesman Jeff Adamson says the slide Wednesday afternoon was reported to the Washington State Patrol by a motorcyclist who rode into it, but was unharmed.

Crews hope to have Highway 20 reopened by 4 p.m. today. They’re removing about 300 cubic yards of mud and debris up to 10 feet deep.

The highway is closed from just east of Diablo to 14 miles west Mazama.