OUTDOOR TRAVEL -- It's been a rough summer for the North Cascades Highway, and travelers visiting the many trailheads and scenic attractions the route accesses through North Cascades National Park.  

A short stretch of the prized stretch of Highway 20 near Rainy Pass is closed by mudslides for the second time in six weeks.

• Specifically, the route is closed between milepost 147 (10 miles west of Rainy Pass) and milepost 157 at Rainy Pass. 

This closure blocks through traffic from the East Side to the West Side of the state.

The Washington Transportation Department says it hopes to reopen the North Cascades Highway at noon on Thursday.

Late last week, rain-caused mudslides in several locations closed a stretch of the highway, also known as State Highway 20.

Transportation officials say crews are making good progress in clearing a half dozen slides.

The highway is the northernmost route across Washington’s Cascade Mountains.