PORT ANGELES — Drivers should plan for short delays for alternating single-lane traffic this week on U.S. Highway 101 around Lake Crescent as contractor Strider Construction begins to mobilize equipment and set up traffic control devices to resume road work.
The remaining road work for the three-year, $27.5 million Lake Crescent Highway 101 Rehabilitation Project involves restoring the roadway width and shoulder area in front of the rock wall near milepost 229, said Penny Wagner, Olympic National Park spokesperson.
The work will require traffic delays for alternating single-lane traffic as well as a series of four-hour delays set to begin Oct. 7, she said.
The four-hour delays will follow a set schedule Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. until no longer needed.
During these four-hour periods, Highway 101 eastbound from Forks will be open to the turn for Barnes Point where Lake Crescent Lodge is located.
Highway 101 westbound from Port Angeles will remain open up to mile marker 232/East Beach Road.
Outside of the four-hour delays, drivers should expect delays for alternating single-lane traffic Monday through Friday during work hours.
After work hours and on weekends, travelers can expect short delays for alternating single-lane traffic controlled by temporary traffic signals at the rock wall area.
Travelers to and from the western side of the North Olympic Peninsula can use state Highway 112/113 as an alternate route during the delays.
“Drivers should be cautious of bicycle traffic on state Highway 112 because it is a Scenic Byway and a popular route for bicycle touring,” Wagner said.
The roadway restoration work is anticipated to last four to six weeks.
This is the final season of the three-year road rehabilitation project.
The road along Lake Crescent’s south shore was built in the early 1920s, replacing ferry passage across the lake. Today the road is part of U.S. Highway 101, the highway connecting the east and west ends of the Peninsula.
In 2015, more than 420,000 vehicles traveled the highway, Wagner said.
The project is being managed collaboratively by the Federal Highway Administration and the National Park Service.
For project updates, see www.nps.gov/olym/index.htm.
