OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Heavy equipment will begin moving up Hurricane Ridge Road today as Lakeside Industries workers begin preparing the road for a seven-month reconstruction project.
The $12 million project will resurface the road, the main parking lot and pullouts along the road.
The Port Angeles contractor also will repair three sections of the road that were badly damaged during a December storm.
The project on the 50-year-old road was originally scheduled over two seasons.
That time period was cut in half when it was advertised and contracted for one year only, so that it will conclude in November, Olympic National Park spokeswoman Barb Maynes said.
Actual construction may not begin until May 4.
During roadwork, delays of about 20 to 30 minutes are expected for drivers.
Traffic guidance staff will be available as flaggers and in pilot cars.
The road, which was built in the 1950s, was last resurfaced in 1979, Maynes said.
Crew also will install new conduits for electricity under the road.
Electricity to Hurricane Ridge currently goes through the Elwha Valley, but those conduits were installed several decades ago, and a replacement may be needed in the near future, McGill said.
“We want to be proactive and get this done, and as long as we were doing the rest of the road, it was a good opportunity to get this done as well,” she said.
