Many Glacier bridge project starts this month

by The Daily Inter Lake
| September 3, 2014 9:00 PM

Glacier National Park is preparing to shift into its fall schedule for services and facilities in the weeks to come.

The park’s free shuttle service on Going-to-the-Sun Road will continue through this Sunday. The last day to reach Logan Pass from the east side of the park will be Sept. 21.

Prior to that date, rehabilitation work will continue on the east side of Sun Road with delays of up to 30 minutes for travelers. Starting Sept. 21, the road will be closed entirely near the St. Mary Campground to allow for accelerated work for the rest of the fall.

There is no construction activity on the west side of the road and vehicle access to Logan Pass will continue through Oct. 19, weather permitting.

A project to replace the Swiftcurrent Bridge at Many Glacier will begin later this month and continue into November. The bridge work will begin after the Many Glacier Hotel closes Sept. 21.

There will be short delays on the bridge starting Sept. 26, and as of Sept. 29, there will be no pedestrian or vehicle traffic to the hotel complex. Swiftcurrent Bridge is located at the foot of Swiftcurrent Lake and it provides vehicle and pedestrian access to the Many Glacier Hotel Historic District.

Access to Cracker Lake and the Piegan Trail will be through the Grinnell Picnic Area at the Grinnell Trailhead.

Here are other dates for Glacier Park’s fall transition:

Hours will be scaled back at the Apgar backcountry office Sept. 7, at park headquarters Sept. 6 and at the St. Mary Visitor Center Sept. 21. The Logan Pass Visitor Center is open through Sept. 21, while the Apgar and St. Mary visitor centers are open through Oct. 5.
Services will be scaled back to “primitive” status at the following campgrounds: Apgar, Oct. 12; Bowman Lake, Sept. 14; Cut Bank, Sept. 28; Fish Creek, Aug. 31; Kintla Lake, Sept. 14; Logging Creek, Sept. 21; Many Glacier, Sept. 28; and St. Mary, Sept. 21.
The Avalanche Campground closes Sept. 7. The Rising Sun and Sprague Creek campgrounds close Sept. 14. The Two Medicine Campground closes Sept. 28.
The Granite Park and Sperry backcountry chalets close Sept. 7.
The landing at Goat Haunt will be open until Sept. 21.