Associated Press
NORTH BEND— The main east-west highway in Washington reopened over Snoqualmie pass after being closed for almost four days due to a winter storm that made travel too dangerous.
I-90 reopened Sunday evening. The vital transportation route that connects Seattle with Spokane was viable again after crews worked for days to clear fallen trees, debris and snow.
Approximately 30,000 vehicles traverse Snoqualmie Pass on a typical day. The closure impacted cross-state travel and commerce.
A 44-mile stretch of U.S. 2 over Stevens Pass, another key east-west route, probably will not reopen before Wednesday because of heavy snow accumulation and extreme avalanche danger.
Near Stevens Pass, in Leavenworth, National Guard members met with local leaders Monday and began doing wellness checks and clearing walkways, officials said on Twitter. The mayor declared a state of emergency last week and asked for help after more than 3 feet of snow fell in some places in 24 hours.
U.S. 12 over White Pass reopened at 3 p.m. Monday, only to close again a couple hours later because of a rockslide and unstable slopes west of the summit, state transportation officials said Monday.
Flooding concerns continued in parts of southwest Washington on Monday.
Southwest Washington has experienced its worst flooding in a decade, the National Weather Service said. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee issued an emergency proclamation on Friday.
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