Artist Point open

ARTIST POINT – The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) opened the road to Artist Point at 8 a.m. Friday, July 30, after three weeks of snow-clearing work on the road above the Mt. Baker Ski Area. In order to open the road, crews had to clear snow that in some areas was nearly 20 feet deep. “Even though we had a mild winter, there was more snow up there this year than the last couple years because of the tumultuous spring we had,” said maintenance superintendent Tony Hernandez. “It was some tough work, but we got it done. The warm July helped, too.” Crews cleared approximately three miles of roadway and climbed a thousand feet in elevation, finishing their work nearly a mile above sea level. Work started on July 6, and crews worked four 10-hour days each week. Opening the road in late July is in line with previous openings. The road opened on July 28 in 2007 and July 27 in 2006. It opened on August 9 in 2002. In 2008 and 2009, the road opened in mid-July. The road to Artist Point is typically buried under snow and closed from October through July. The snow-clearing crew consists of three crew members and a snowblower, bulldozer and excavator.