09/03/2026
Did you know SR-20 took 79 years to complete? Were you around when it opened? Happy , Seattle!
From Washington State Archives - On September 2, 1972, a dedication ceremony marked the official opening of the North Cascades Highway (SR 20). The celebration began at 10:30 a.m. in Winthrop at the eastern end of the route, concluding that evening in Sedro-Woolley on the western end. Governor Dan Evans led a caravan across the new highway, where onlookers were heard exclaiming, “I have never seen such rugged beauty.” In his remarks, Governor Evans echoed a sentiment shared by many speakers that day: the importance of preserving the corridor’s natural landscape.
The highway’s completion came 79 years after the Washington State Legislature first authorized it. The original 1893 plan envisioned a road from Whatcom County to Stevens County. Although it was the first road ever commissioned by the state, it took the longest to build. Following decades of route revisions and significant spending with little to show for it, heavy construction finally began in 1959. winthropwa sedrowoolley
📷 WSDOT color slide, Washington State Archives.tbt
