Crews hope to open N. Cascades Highway Thursday

DIABLO, Wash. — 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. Avalanches typically close the highway for winter between late November and mid-December. It usually reopens by early May.