Stevens Pass reopens after week-long closure
WASHINGTON - After a week-long closure, crews with the Washington State Department of Transportation have reopened Stevens Pass on US 2 and Tumwater Canyon.
Stevens Pass has been closed since Jan. 6 due to heavy snowfall and avalanche danger, being one of the last mountain passes to reopen after the winter weather.
WSDOT said that rain on top of the snow earlier this week created further avalanche danger on the west side of the pass. Crews working on Wednesday morning had to be pulled due to the increased risk.
There are also areas with four-inch-thick ice on the road that need to be removed, according to WSDOT.
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As crews prepare to open Stevens Pass, they are keeping an eye on a small group of deer trapped along the Wenatchee River.
Officials say some deer are sheltering under a log along the river; the snow is too deep and unstable for them to climb out and up the canyon walls. The only place they can walk to is a single plowed lane, according to WSDOT, giving their crews yet another obstacle in clearing the highway.
Crews have occasionally moved deer up and down the canyon via pickup truck, but that does not seem to be an option this time.
(WSDOT)
All four of the mountain passes closed on Jan. 6. Snoqualmie and Blewett Passes opened first on Jan. 9. White Pass opened a day later, but closed down again that same day due to rockslides and debris.
White Pass will remain closed at least until Thursday.
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