OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Once the work is done, U.S. Highway 101 around Lake Crescent will be a better ride, but it would be a long and winding road to get there.
The plan is to begin in 2017, a tentative date, to fix the potholes, rock fall hazards, failing retaining walls and rotten guardrails on 12.3 miles of the primary thoroughfare between the West End and the rest of the North Olympic Peninsula.
The only question is: How to schedule traffic delays and closures during construction?
Traffic delays would be expected to be up to 30 minutes long.
During closures, traffic would be detoured to take the long way around the lake, using state highways 112 and 113.
Barnes Point, where Lake Crescent Lodge stands, would be accessible from either the east or west, depending upon which portion of the highway is undergoing work at the time.
Olympic National Park, along with the Federal Highway Administration as a cooperating agency, has opened a public comment period on a list of six preliminary alternatives for this section of the highway, which is within the park.
Comments received by June 7 will be used to prepare a draft environmental assessment to be released this summer or fall.
The first alternative is doing nothing.
“Without rehabilitation, catastrophic failure of portions of the roadway could occur, causing an increased frequency of unplanned delays and closures to repair the road,” the park document says.
None of the other five alternatives deal with the work to be done.
All are directed to scheduling traffic delays and closures.
They range from three years of 30-minute delays during the construction season, which is from March to November, to closing the stretch of highway entirely for 1.7 construction seasons while traffic is diverted onto 112 and 113.
Here are the draft choices:
■ Alternative 2 — Thirty-minute delays throughout the term of the project, which would be expected to be from March to November for three years.
■ Alternative 3 — Close the Lake Crescent stretch of road in the shoulder seasons, i.e., in the spring — March and April — and fall — October and November.
The stretch of road would be open to traffic with 30-minute delays the rest of the time, expected to be for 2.2 construction seasons.
■ Alternative 4 — Close the segment of highway from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, but open it with 30-minute delays before 9 a.m., after 5 p.m. and on weekends.
That would be throughout an expected 2.5 construction seasons.
■ Alternative 5 — Close the segment of highway entirely during the first construction season, then open it with 30-minute delays throughout the rest of the road rehabilitation.
Under this alternative, work would be expected to take about 2.5 construction seasons.
■ Alternative 6 — Close the stretch of highway for the entire period of the project.
This would get the work over the most quickly — an estimated 1.7 construction seasons — but would mean traffic is diverted to highways 112 and 113, with some access maintained to Barnes Point.
Common to all the alternatives is the proposed scope of work.
The section of highway has failing guardrails; roadside hazards such as missing drop inlet grates, rock fall hazards; and potholes, edge failures and poor surfacing, the park says.
Work would include resurfacing the roadway, replacing more than 44,000 feet of guardrail and replacing drainage structures and retaining walls.
Included in the project is repaving East Beach Road and improving the Sol Duc parking area.
Those interested are encouraged to comment on the alternatives, mix or match them or come up with whole new alternatives.
Public comment also will be accepted this fall on the draft environmental assessment.
The present schedule is to release the final environmental assessment and the final design the winter of 2016 and begin construction the winter of 2017.
For more information, see http://tinyurl.com/PDN-highwayatlakecrescent.
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Managing Editor/News Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3531 or at leah.leach@peninsuladailynews.com.
