Opening at last
Glacier National Park is on pace for a Sunday morning opening of Going-to-the-Sun Road at Logan Pass, along with service from a new transit system.
"Our hope is that the gates will swing open and the shuttles will start their engines, and possibly have some passengers for that early morning departure," said Amy Vanderbilt, Glacier's communications and outreach manager.
Shuttle buses will run on three Sun Road transit routes between 7 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. from July 1 through the Labor Day weekend. The shuttles will be available at regular stops every 15 to 30 minutes, depending on locations between the main transportation hubs at St. Mary and Apgar. Logan Pass will also serve as a hub, with final daily departures to the east and west at 9:30 p.m.
The synchronized transit system start-up and the opening at Logan Pass is impressive because of extensive storm repairs that have been rapidly completed during the past two months.
"Our park road crews did a fantastic job of clearing the Sun Road this winter and spring as safely and quickly as possible to allow park partner, the Federal Highway Administration, and contractor Sandry Construction of Bigfork access to tackle Sun Road repairs from torrential rain damage last November," said Glacier Superintendent Mick Holm.
Holm noted that a moderate snowpack combined with favorable spring weather accelerated the road work. Sandry Construction was able to start work at the most seriously damaged sites just below the East Tunnel more than a week earlier than projected.
Sandry workers on Thursday were expected to complete installation of a temporary bridge over the worst washout - a 110-foot gap in the road with both lanes lost. Because work to repair damage beneath the bridge will proceed over the summer, it's expected the bridge will be removed in the fall.
"We're down to the last bits of work," Vanderbilt said. "They are striping the parking lots today and tomorrow. They are paving the repair areas today."
Once Sun Road is opened at Logan Pass, the entire 50-mile historic highway will be open for the first time since last summer. The Logan Pass Visitor Center and restroom facilities will also be open for public use.
The transit system will rev up with the help of a corps of trained volunteers who will be posted at the transit hubs.
"They will be at the transit centers, outdoors, helping field questions and assisting park visitors in utilizing the transit system," Vanderbilt said. "They really will be our ambassadors to the public, since it is an unstaffed facility."
The transit system will be operated by Flathead County's Eagle Transit with a work force of about 80 people, mostly drivers. The transit system will not provide interpretive tours.
"It's step-on, step-off, no-frills transportation," Vanderbilt said. "If visitors want guided services, they can pursue those through Sun Tours or through Glacier Park Inc. and the red buses."
The transit fleet includes 22 12-passenger Sprinter buses for the narrow and windy alpine stretch of road between Apgar and Logan Pass. An additional eight 24-passenger buses will be used between St. Mary and Logan Pass and between Apgar and Fish Creek.
The larger buses have bike racks, and there is limited luggage space on the smaller shuttles.
Vanderbilt said park officials will be seeking input from visitors who use the transit system.
"I want to stress that this summer is a test run for the system," she said. "We fully acknowledge that there may be need for schedule adjustments."
The park plans a thorough review of the system in September, and that review will likely lead to some adjustments, Vanderbilt said.
A map of Glacier's transit routes is available on the Internet at: http://www.nps.gov/glac.
Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com