Department of Transportation leaves links to Western Washington closed
MAZAMA — Eastern Washington residents wanting to use highways through scenic mountain passes to get to the Puget Sound area or Pacific Ocean are going to have to wait.
On Thursday, state Transportation Secretary Roger Millar ordered plowing halted in Washington passes.
Effected passes include:
Washington Pass accessed via North Cascades Highway (state Highway 20). The pass connects the Methow Valley to the Sedro-Woolley area
Cayuse Pass on state Highway 410. Cayuse Pass connects Naches to the Enumclaw.
Chinook Pass, which connects state Highway 410 to the east entrance of Mount Rainier National Park.
Millar ordered plowing halted under Gov. Jay Inslee’s order Monday night, March 23, requiring residents to stay home.
Inslee ordered residents to remain in their homes, except to get some outdoor recreation, as a way to slow the spread of Wuhan Flu, also known as COVID-19, or coronavirus disease 2019.
Snoqualmie Pass on Interstate 90 remains open between Cle Elum and North Bend. White Pass on U.S. Highway 12 remains open between Naches and Packwood. And Stevens Pass on U.S. Highway 12 remains open between Leavenworth and Monroe.
The only other route linking Eastern and Western Washington is state Highway 14 through the Columbia River Gorge.
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, columnist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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