North Cascades Pass

[JamesW]

Just an fyi update on the work, I deluded myself into coming home that way yesterday to avoid the 91 degree heat from omak to leavenworth. Miles of stops, pilot cars and dust clouds, not to mention the motorhomes mixed in the long lines that do not use the pull-outs after road work is passed. Time to go wash the bike.

 

[Silverbullet]

Gunny that. We got back last week from a 5k trip and the worst construction we hit was on Hy 20. (93 outside Hamilton MT was a close second, wet clay two up is messy and tiring)

 

[Mount Rainier]

I guess timing is everything in that I left Omak at 6 am Monday and avoided the construction over the North Cascade Hwy. That's not to say the crews weren't getting geared up to start their projects for the day. Sorry to hear of your experience.

I was on the last day of 10 days and 6000 miles of snagging 43 dams in 7 states and BC as part of Dam Tour and had my share of "not so good timing" as it relates to construction delays.

Keep Going!

 

[Silverbullet]

Timing can be everything regarding construction for sure. I knew we had made a mistake when Jenny and I were telling each other as we left Winthrop, this year had been the best ever as far as contruction was concerned. Zaaaap, instant construction zone ahead. Overall it was still probably the best we've ever had on our trip. Even on the not so good years, I'd rather be chatting up a flagger than sitting at this desk any day.

 

[escapefjrtist]

So I guess we'll be waiting on a lunch in Winthrop ride for a while...too bad. I really enjoy making the North Cascade run. :blink:

--G

 

[ahchiu]

I riding up tomorrow, I think I will stop @ Diablo Lake, I was thinking of lunch in Winthrop.

Thanks for the update

 

[dzane]

North Cascade Newsletter:

Hi all,

What a weekend! If you were up there at the highest traffic volume times on Saturday or Sunday, the delays exceeded the 20 minute target and the work zone that the pilot car was guiding traffic through got longer and longer as the paving could finally progress at a normal rate (7 to 10 miles a day, instead of the 2 miles we’d been averaging due to the too-cool temperatures and fog and precipitation up through last Wednesday when it finally started to warm up.)

We didn’t feel like we could say no when Central Washington Asphalt wanted to work through the weekend due to the first dependable forecast for hot weather that would allow them to finish the chip work.

Sunday evening the 30 miles of chip sealing was done. Today, the brooming of loose rock continues with the 35 mph speed limit and pilot car controlled traffic. Tuesday and Wednesday there won’t be any pavement work (or any or any more speed restrictions) as the curing continues. Thursday and Friday, you’ll encounter some short delays where crews are installing new guideposts on the shoulders and painting the new stripes.

Next week, if weather continues to cooperate, the final fog seal may be applied. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the plan is to install the new reflective pavement markers (we call them RPMs) on the fog lines. Remaining work (through, hopefully, no later than Labor Day) will then include new sign installation and applying the permanent plastic pavement markings (arrows, stop bars, etc). The plastics go down last because the pavement underneath has to be cured (dry) to the point that the markers will permanently bond to the pavement.

Part of the rush to take advantage of last weekend’s hot weather is the necessity for having the new surface COMPLETELY cured and compacted before the first snow plow blade hits it, which has come as early as October in some years. Properly curing a chip seal before fall like the one on SR 28 east of Soap Lake in the Columbia Basin is pretty dependable with daytime temperatures of 90+ and nighttime temperatures around 70. At a mile high over the North Cascades, the curing is anything but dependable due to too many days/hours of cool temperatures and high moisture. If there aren’t enough hot and dry days between now and that first snow, the risk is that the new surface will peel up when the plow blades drop. You may recall that the highway didn’t open until a month later than normal, so this project started a month late, too.

I’ll let you know if something changes, but for now – take solace in the fact the chip seal application is DONE.

Jeff [email protected] 509.667.2815

PS. I was up there last Wednesday. I took some pictures of the chip seal and guardrail work as well as the drainage repair projects and some interesting footprints(?) that I'll finish processing and get Dustin to post on our Flickr site.

 

[FastJoyRide]

I ran to Winthrop from Sumas last Saturday with some friends and I would have to agree it was a mess. But what I really want to know is why are y'all Washington folks staying home for your vacation? Never seen so many damn cages in my life - and they all had WA plates!

On the plus side, the South Skagit from Sedro to Rockport was in as good shape as I've ever seen it, and was virtually empty. Some squidcycles left just ahead of us from the west entry so no LEO concerns...

And officer Obie in Marblemount never did show up - all in all a great day (and great Mexican grub at the Duck Brand too)