Glacier road work focuses on east side
Despite encouraging progress in Glacier National Park’s annual plowing of snow on Going-to-the-Sun Road, east-side rehabilitation work means June 19 is the earliest possible opening date for the full length of the road over Logan Pass.
West-side access to Logan Pass before June 19 will depend on weather and plowing progress.
With a price tag of $140 million to date, the multi-phase construction project has been ongoing since 2007, although the same intense weather that keeps Sun Road closed during the winter also limits the season during which road work can take place.
This year’s construction will be limited to the park’s east side along a 15-mile stretch from Siyeh Bend to the park boundary.
Park landscape architect Jack Gordon said crews with H K Contractors are currently prepping the road and will start paving the approximately 5-mile stretch from Rising Sun to St. Mary in mid-July.
During that time, only one lane of the road will be open to traffic and the maximum overall delay for motorists will be 30 minutes Mondays through Fridays. Old asphalt pulled up from the road will be milled in a machine on-site and recycled during the repaving.
In addition to paving the road, the project includes upgrading and replacing infrastructure along the way, including wayside exhibits, informational kiosks, transit stops, stonemasonry and the visitor center at St. Mary.
However, with much of this work completed last season, Gordon said about 90 percent of the work this year will be focused on paving, which will move from east to west. Among the major projects completed last year was the rebuilding of Rose Creek Bridge just east of Rising Sun.
Gordon said he hopes everything except the stretch from St. Mary to the park boundary will be completed this year with the final portion next spring.
Hikers be warned: As construction moves along, trailhead closures on the east side can change day to day. Those planning hikes east of Siyeh Bend should either call park headquarters at 888-7800 or check the website at www.nps.gov/glac.
“Don’t anticipate your routine trail route for getting in and getting out is going to be the same,” Glacier spokeswoman Denise Germann said.
Similar to last year, Sun Point — including the trail access, picnic area and parking lot — will be closed all season. It will be used as the staging area for road crews.
Three popular hikes on the east side — Virginia, St. Mary and Baring falls — will be open, but no parking will be available since parking areas are being replaced this year. Those wishing to hike to those areas should use the park’s shuttle system.
Currently, east-side vehicle access only extends to St. Mary, and although the campground is open, it can only be reached by foot or bike. The campground will open to vehicle access June 5.
Sept. 20 will be the last day to reach Logan Pass by vehicle from the park’s east side. A detour along Upper Divide Creek Bridge and Hudson Bay Road will allow access to the visitor center from Oct. 5-9.
Access to Logan Pass from the west side of the park will remain open until the third week in October, although weather conditions could force it to close sooner.
Germann said the final leg of the road rehabilitation will likely begin in 2017, when 16.4 miles from the park’s West Entrance to Avalanche Creek are fully replaced. She said a 2010 overlay of asphalt served as a temporary Band-Aid, but the last rebuild of that portion of the road was in 1991. The typical life cycle for the road is about 20 years.
Reporter Samuel Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com