Trickiest Sun Road work nearly completed

Glacier National Park visitors again can expect traffic delays on Going-to-the-Sun Road this summer due to a long-term road reconstruction project.

But the $137 million Sun Road rehabilitation project’s most difficult phase on the road’s alpine section is expected to be almost entirely finished by this fall.

“The most expensive, most difficult construction areas, the ones with the adverse weather and short seasons, our plan is to have that done at the latest by spring of 2013,” said Jack Gordon, the park’s landscape architect.

The massive road project on the high-altitude highway began in 2006.

Federal stimulus funding allowed for the project to be accelerated in 2010.

Work progressed unimpeded last summer with general contractor HK Construction completing 11 miles between Big Bend and Siyeh Bend. That work entailed road sub-base improvements, drainage improvements, retaining wall and guardwall reconstruction, masonry work and paving.

This year will involve the same type of work, concentrating on two areas west of Logan Pass — from Haystack Creek to Big Bend and from Avalanche Campground to Logan Creek.

The work at Haystack will cost about $12 million while the work beyond Avalanche will cost about $5.5 million, Gordon said.

Depending on snowplowing progress and weather, the earliest Sun Road can open over Logan Pass is June 15. Prior to that date, the contractor can close both lanes of the road to allow for accelerated work.

When the road does open, visitors can expect delays of no longer than 30 minutes in traveling through both work zones west of Logan Pass.

The road will close on Sept. 17 to allow for accelerated construction on both lanes.

While the alpine section will be done, reconstruction work between Siyeh Bend and St. Mary will get under way in 2013.