State Route 410 over Chinook Pass will be ready to open at noon on Friday after avalanches and the threat of avalanches kept it closed since mid-December, according to the state Department of Transportation.

“The final two avalanches will be cleared and the threat of any more snow sliding down to the roadway will be minimal by Friday at noon,” said WSDOT Avalanche Forecaster John Stimberis.

Chinook Pass, on the eastern edge of Mount Rainier National Park, is one of the state’s highest mountain passes. Drivers should be aware that the potential for winter driving conditions still exists and to watch for rocks in the roadway. WSDOT crews will clear debris as needed.

Instead of a steady meltdown of the snow pack, the snow kept piling up, with more than 6 feet of new snow arriving in May. It finally stopped snowing Wednesday.

Chinook Pass has been closed since Dec. 15, 2008, from the intersection of SR 123 and SR 410 (three miles west of the summit), to Morse Creek (5.5 miles east of the summit). A five-mile stretch just east of the summit is located along the steep slope of an avalanche area, which makes it too dangerous to keep open during the snowy winter months.