WA 20/North Cascades Highway

[Max Rockatansky]

I've been meaning to put something together for WA 20 over the North Cascade Highway for years but always seem to have my photos from 2015 on the back burner.  I finally got around to getting organized and put together something for the North Cascades Highway on Gribblenation:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2022/01/washington-state-route-20-north.html

[Bruce]

Fun fact: Ted Bundy was at the opening ceremony for the North Cascades Highway in 1972 as part of Governor Evans's entourage. A debunked myth said that he was driving the governor's car, but it was actually a state trooper.

https://www.historylink.org/File/11044

[kwellada]

One thing I'll very much miss about living in Washington was the yearly trip over the North Cascades Highway, which I tried to do as soon as possible after the road is reopened for the season. The trip is best enjoyed with a stop in Winthrop at the little brewery/restaurant.

[kkt]

Love driving that highway, and it's been a few years.  And I should take the offspring.  A weekend in May, or after school gets out in June.

[The Ghostbuster]

I wonder why WA 20 was spared the multi-state conversion from SR 20 to SR 200?

[Max Rockatansky]

I wonder why WA 20 was spared the multi-state conversion from SR 20 to SR 200?

That always seemed like an obvious idea to me.

[Bruce]

I wonder why WA 20 was spared the multi-state conversion from SR 20 to SR 200?

The Duluth to Spokane Scenic Highway Association spearheaded the movement in the 1960s as part of an attempt to also designate the entire corridor as a U.S. route and asked the AASHO to consider routing it down US 195. Thus it would have missed SR 20 entirely.

Until 1973, SR 20 terminated at US 97 in Okanogan, while the rest was SR 30 (Tonasket/US 97 to Kettle Falls/US 395), SR 294 (Colville/US 395 to Tiger), and SR 31 (Tiger to Newport).

[Max Rockatansky]

I wonder why WA 20 was spared the multi-state conversion from SR 20 to SR 200?

The Duluth to Spokane Scenic Highway Association spearheaded the movement in the 1960s as part of an attempt to also designate the entire corridor as a U.S. route and asked the AASHO to consider routing it down US 195. Thus it would have missed SR 20 entirely.

Until 1973, SR 20 terminated at US 97 in Okanogan, while the rest was SR 30 (Tonasket/US 97 to Kettle Falls/US 395), SR 294 (Colville/US 395 to Tiger), and SR 31 (Tiger to Newport).

To be fair, in a modern sense having a seasonal highway pass and ferry segment wouldn't likely help sway the AASHTO if a request was revisited including WA 20.

As an aside, I do think that places like National Parks should have been more emphasized in the development of the US Route System over the decades.  To me a "National Park"  designation does denote national importance. 

[jay8g]

It would also go against Washington's state route numbering conventions (SR 200 would be a spur of US 2 or potentially SR 20). Wouldn't be the first time for that (SR 410, for example), but I imagine the state wouldn't have been in favor of that -- especially since that's right around the time the current numbering system was set up.

[kkt]

You could argue that if WA 20 became WA 200 that it's a spur off of US 2 at Newport...