PORT ANGELES — Olympic Hot Springs Road will be closed to all at the Olympic National Park boundary beginning Monday.
The road, closed at the park boundary near Madison Falls since last November because of a washout near the Elwha Campground, was reopened to pedestrians and bicyclists on weekends in September after in-water work had been done to create a temporary bridge over the 90-foot crevasse.
At that time, park officials expected to reopen it to vehicles this month after the project was completed, they said.
But a Friday announcement from the park said the road would be closed to all vehicles including bicycles, as well as to pedestrians and horseback riders, beginning Monday for paving.
The road will remain closed to all until at least the end of this month, said Barb Maynes in a news release. She could not be reached for further comment.
Contractors from Lakeside Industries will pave the newly repaired section of road, she said in the release.
Crews will begin by smoothing and preparing the road, she said.
“Once preparations are complete, the actual paving will be done as soon as weather conditions allow,” she said.
“Because the paving process is weather-dependent, a firm timeline for reopening the road is not available at this time. Crews hope to reopen the road by the end of this month.”
The road washed out when a dry Elwha River side channel was reactivated in a Nov. 17 flood. A second flood that occurred Dec. 8 and Dec. 9 caused additional damage to the road and nearby Elwha Campground.
A small wooden bridge that could support emergency vehicles was put into place until repairs began in July.
The Elwha Campground isn’t expected to be reopened this year, according to Maynes.
Altair Campground was also damaged in the Nov. 17 flood. It had been closed because of damage done in a December 2014 storm.
The park service requested $424,000 for a temporary bridge across the washout.
The temporary bridge would be expected to be in use for about five years while the park considers a permanent solution, she said.
Elsewhere in the park, Graves Creek Road in the Quinault Valley will be reopened to motor vehicles to its terminus at the Graves Creek Trailhead next Saturday.
The Graves Creek Campground will be open with vault toilets. Potable water is not provided.
Like Olympic Hot Springs Road, Graves Creek Road was closed last November after flooding.
