Major Sun Road work ahead

By JIM MANN

Section of road to be closed Sept. 18

The Daily Inter Lake

Glacier National Park announced Thursday that its fall work schedule for Going-to-the-Sun Road - involving 2.5 miles of road that will be closed - starts Sept. 18.

Complete closures of certain road sections during so-called "shoulder seasons" were prescribed in a environmental impact statement developed with extensive input from a Citizens Advisory Council.

The work that gets under way Sept. 18 marks the official start of the long-term effort to overhaul the historic highway in a manner that hasn't occurred since it was opened in 1932.

Park visitors will be able to travel 15 miles from St. Mary to the closure area near Siyeh Bend. The road will be open from the West Glacier entrance all the way to Logan Pass during the closure.

Flathead Valley contractor Sandry Construction will do "accelerated" reconstruction, requiring the closure of both lanes, over a 2.5-mile stretch in the East Side Tunnel area. The contractor has been doing work involving a single-lane closure in that area during the peak summer season.

"After many years of public involvement and compromise, we are finally embarking on the first of many shoulder-season traffic restrictions on the alpine section of the Sun Road," Glacier Superintendent Mick Holm said. "Given the reality of spring snowpack and potential avalanche danger in the alpine zones, the fall will likely be the most productive season for contractors to make headway on the road improvements."

While no public access will be allowed through the work zone during work periods, hikers and bikers will be allowed during evening hours and on weekends when the contractor is not working.

In other Sun Road news, contractor James Talcott Construction Inc. of Great Falls began clearing trees this week to prepare for construction of the Apgar Transit Center near the West Glacier entrance.

The center is slated for completion by next year, with the intent of accommodating an enhanced Sun Road transit system that will be phased into operation next summer.

Visitors using the optional shuttle system will be able to stop at numerous locations, primarily along the Sun Road, including several campgrounds. There will be no charge to ride the shuttle beyond the normal park entrance fee.

As recommended by the advisory committee and subsequently in the environmental study, numerous mitigation measures are being phased into operation to help maintain visitor use and Sun Road access while reducing congestion caused by road work and to help reduce economic impacts.

Road work schedules are issued each week through Glacier's Web site at http://www.nps.gov/glac/sunroad/whatsup.htm