Park reopens Logan Pass after repairing storm damage

The Daily Inter Lake

However brief it may be, Logan Pass has been reopened in Glacier National Park after being inaccessible because of damage caused by heavy rains in late September.

Park officials say the pass will be accessible only from west of the Continental Divide until Nov. 1, when the entire alpine section of Going-to-the-Sun Road will be closed for the winter. Closures could come sooner, depending on weather.

The pass was reopened at noon Friday, mainly because of recent mild weather that allowed conditions to improve on Sun Road's higher elevations. Parts of the alpine section were recently reopened during daylight hours, but the nighttime travel restriction has been lifted.

A stretch of Sun Road east of Logan Pass was closed after a heavy rainstorm caused severe erosion just below the East Tunnel. The storm washed out an estimated 750 cubic yards of earth from the slope below an 80-foot section of road.

Park officials are saying that the erosion has made the entire outside lane of the road unstable. The situation prompted an effort to stabilize the road before winter weather settles in.

By carrying out repairs now, park and Federal Highway Administration officials "hope the spring opening will not be impacted" on Sun Road, Glacier Superintendent Mick Holm said.

About 32 miles of Sun Road is open from the park's west entrance to Logan Pass, and more than 13 miles are open between St. Mary to the Jackson Glacier overlook on the east side of the park.