The North Cascades Parkway

     It took nearly 100 years for the North Cascades Highway to finally be completed since the concept of a northern crossing in the state was first considered. The first public crossing of the highway took place in 1968, back when this stretch of road was referred to as the North Cross State Highway. Officially, the highway opened in September of 1972 for two and a half months. And since then, except for the winter of 1976-77, the highway has closed for several months in the winter.
    Relative to its youthful age and remote location, the North Cascades Highway has been a longtime popular traveling destination for tourists and recreation enthusiasts as well as being an important commerce and transportation route for the rural communities on both sides of the mountain range. The highway also continues to grow in popularity as evidenced by the increase in traffic the last past decade. Statistics from the Washington State Department of Transportation from their Cutthroat junction traffic counter show a steady, yearly increase in the average daily number of vehicles from 640 in 2006 to 920 in 2009.
     That may not seem like much traffic, but if you are familiar with the highway, then you know that for a daily average, those numbers, growing as they are, are pretty impressive. The past week, especially given this time of year and weather conditions, there certainly wasn't 920 vehicles coming or going over the North Cascades Highway each day.
     Without a doubt, the bulk of the traffic occurs on weekends from July to September. Before that time, there is some periods of significant travel, but with much of the high country that is accessible from the road still buried under snow, the vast majority of the traffic is just passing through.
     And that is one of the main concerns with plans to expand the park: This could turn the North Cascades Highway into an absolute nightmare to drive, especially on certain weekends. Already annual traffic counts are growing. Creating a national park that encompasses the highway, changing that section into the North Cascades Parkway, as presented in the AALP Economic Study, will suddenly jack the number of vehicles way beyond what is steadily growing now. AALP proponents, concerned as they seem about climate change, laud the increased visitation that will come to the highway with a park expansion. Nearly all of this increased numbers will be by vehicle. Congestion, traffic hazards, noise and air pollution could all become major issues on this scenic highway.
      The North Cascades Highway is an unique and beautiful stretch of road that will have its current qualities diminish if the North Cascades National Park is expanded along its corridor.