Park outlines Sun Road fall schedule
A goat walks down the Sun Road near Logan Pass recently. Motorists will still be able to get there this fall. — Heidi Desch photo
By CHRIS PETERSON / Hungry Horse News
Drivers will be able to get to Logan Pass this fall, but they may have to do some extra driving to get there, depending on which side of the divide they're on.
At 6 a.m. Monday, Sept. 15, the west side of the road will close from Avalanche Creek to Big Bend so construction crews can pave the road. Access to Logan Pass will be from the east side of the Park only.
On Sept. 22, the west side will reopen to Logan Pass and the east side will close down from Jackson Glacier overlook to the pass for the remainder of the season.
Folks can still expect to see short delays for construction.
The east side closure is so that crews can shore up storm damage to the road from November 2006 flooding below the east side tunnel. A 110 foot section of road was washed out by heavy rains that dumped as much as 10 inches in the mountains.
The schedule is contingent on the weather cooperating. It's not uncommon for the road to see snow in September. It traditionally is closed by snow and ice by mid-October in most years.
Even with a closure at Jackson Glacier overlook on the east side, many of the popular trailheads at Siyeh Bend will still be accessible by bicycle or foot.
While most of the east side repairs are done, work still remains — crews need to build two more earthen walls, complete rock facing of those walls, make drainage improvements and repave the road.
Last year a temporary bridge was used during the summer to bridge the gap caused by the washouts. That has since been removed, but the road repairs were never completed before snow flew and a late spring this year didn't give crews any time to finish repairs on the east side.
In addition to the Sun Road repairs, about $800,000 in improvements are underway at the west entrance.
Crews are adding a lane to better traffic flow and this fall the entrance station itself will see improvements to make the building more comfortable for employees.
HK Contractors, Inc., of Idaho Falls, Idaho is completing the work.