Troubled Glacier Park road may take $700,000 to repair

Glacier National Park estimates it will cost from $682,000 to $735,000 to fix the Inside North Fork Road.

The road has sustained significant damage in three key areas over the past few years.

One bad section is erosion from the North Fork of the Flathead at “Lover’s Leap” where the road is in danger of slumping off into the river.

The second two areas are from flooding and braiding of waterways at Anaconda and Logging creeks. In those two sections, the streams both flooded the road and left from their channels, causing damage.

The 40-mile-long gravel road was built in 1901 and has been a perennial problem for Glacier Park, although the road provides access to several popular trailheads.

The section between Logging Creek Ranger Station and Camas Creek is currently closed due to damage.

The road is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its role in the development of the North Fork area.

Glacier Park is currently seeking public comments on how best to manage the road into the future. It notes the cost estimate does not include future maintenance.

At Lover’s Leap, an engineering firm determined the best course of action would be to move the road to the east. The same could be done at Anaconda Creek by moving the road to the eastern hillside instead of going around the hill.

Logging Creek is more complicated, with a plan to raise the road on fill material and insert multiple relief pipes under the road.

The park is taking public comments on the plan and will release a formal environmental assessment later. Comment online at: www.parkplanning.nps.gov/InsideNorthForkRoad.

Or send your comments to: Superintendent, Glacier National Park, Attn: Inside North Fork Road, PO Box 128, West Glacier, MT 59936.

The comment deadline is Aug. 3.