OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — The 8-mile Obstruction Point Road will close to vehicles for the season Monday, Sept. 23.
The early fall closure of the popular road off Hurricane Ridge Road is to allow the Olympic National Park road crew to resurface and repair the dirt road before fall rains make the area too muddy.
Usually the road, which opened this year at the end of July, closes sometime in October.
Focus on future
“While we recognize that this early fall closure may create an inconvenience for some visitors, it’s been many years since we last resurfaced this road, and we must focus on long-term access to Obstruction Point,” said park Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum.
Although it will be closed to all motorized vehicles, the road will remain open to non-motorized traffic when the crew is not working — Fridays through Sundays, as well as the Columbus Day holiday Monday, Oct. 14, said Rainey McKenna, park spokeswoman.
The project will include hauling and placing about 600 tons — some 60 dump truck loads — of gravel to restore the road before grading and compacting the new surface using a motor grader and rollers.
Park crew members also do maintenance work and improve drainage features along the road to prevent erosion.
The narrowness of the road, coupled with dump truck and heavy-equipment traffic, necessitates a full road closure while work is underway.
Deer Park Road will remain open through mid-October, weather permitting.
Current road information is available by phoning the park’s recorded information line at 360-565-3131 or online at http://tinyurl.com/olympicparkroads.
