PORT ANGELES — The first planned four-hour delay for construction on U.S. Highway 101 at Lake Crescent is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 7.
Work began in the spring on the $27.5 million project to rehabilitate 12 miles of U.S. Highway 101 around Lake Crescent with half-hour delays for drivers.
Travelers on Highway 101 around Lake Crescent should continue to expect half-hour delays Mondays through Fridays during work hours — two hours after sunrise to two hours before sunset — through Sept. 23.
Traveling in the morning before 8 a.m. and after 6 p.m. can help travelers avoid the half-hour delays.
After Labor Day through mid-November, travelers will experience half‐hour delays during weekday work hours, with short delays after-hours, to accommodate alternating single lane traffic, as well as limited four‐hour delays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays only and six‐hour overnight delays from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Mondays through Wednesdays only.
The four-hour and six-hour delays must be announced two weeks in advance.
Additional four-hour delays are anticipated for the week of Sept. 11, Wagner said.
During the first four-hour period, Highway 101 eastbound will be open to the turn for Barnes Point where Lake Crescent Lodge, Storm King Information Station, NatureBridge and the trailheads are located. Highway 101 westbound will be closed near milepost 229 where rock scaling has been done.
‘Plan ahead’
“Travelers should plan ahead to drive through the construction zone before 9 a.m. or wait until after 1 p.m.,” said Penny Wagner, interim spokeswoman for Olympic National Park.
Due to heavy truck traffic, a pilot car will lead all traffic on Highway 101 between mileposts 225 and 228 (located west of Barnes Point) during this four-hour period, and travelers should expect delays of between 15 and 30 minutes.
East Beach Road has reopened to through traffic now that the replacement of the Log Cabin Creek culvert is complete. The new culvert allows for fish passage. Paving operations on East Beach Road are scheduled to begin after Labor Day.
On Sept. 6, paving patches will begin between the Lyre River Trailhead for the Spruce Railroad Trail and the intersection of Joyce-Piedmont and East Beach roads. There will be limited access between 8:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Travelers can expect 30- to 60-minute delays.
On Sept. 7, paving operations between the Lyre River Trailhead for the Spruce Railroad Trail and the intersection of Joyce-Piedmont and East Beach roads will restrict access to the area from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Following this period, paving patches will begin on East Beach Road with 30-minute delays until 6:30 p.m.
East Beach Road paving patches will continue during work hours Sept. 8 with 30-minute delays.
No construction is planned from mid-November through March.
Maps of the area and access information are available on the park website at http://tinyurl.com/PDN-lakecrescentwork.
