OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Strider Construction will pave the west end of East Beach Road between the Lyre River Bridge and the Lyre River Trailhead for the Spruce Railroad Trail on Thursday.
No vehicle, pedestrian or bicycle access to the trailhead will be available until paving is complete. The work is scheduled to be completed by 3:30 p.m. Thursday and the road may open to traffic earlier if possible, said Penny Wagner, Olympic National Park spokeswoman.
The Spruce Railroad Trail is closed on the western end for 1 mile beginning at the Camp David Jr. Road trailhead.
The trail is open for use on the eastern end for 2.7 miles — from the Lyre River Trailhead past Devil’s Punchbowl and up to the Daley Rankin Tunnel.
This phase is scheduled to be completed by the end of July and includes bank stabilization, culvert installation, and trail improvements matching the 1-mile section completed last year from the Lyre River Trailhead to the newly restored McFee Tunnel, Wagner said.
The next phase of the project is anticipated to begin in the fall, she said,.
Future project work will include paving the Lyre River Trailhead parking lot, restoring the Daley Rankin Tunnel and finishing the remaining trail improvements. Paving the length of the trail will occur in the final phase. Completion of the Spruce Railroad Trail project is anticipated in late 2019.
The Spruce Railroad Trail improvements are part of a multi-year collaborative project to establish the entire 10-mile length of the trail as a universally accessible, multipurpose trail to be shared by hikers, bicyclists, equestrians and people traveling in wheelchairs.
Clallam County and Olympic National Park are jointly funding the project and have contracted with Bruch & Bruch Construction of Port Angeles to complete the work. Federal Highway Administration staff provide construction management and general contract oversight.
The Spruce Railroad Trail follows the historic railroad grade of the Spruce Railroad, built in 1918 and abandoned in 1951. When the project is completed in 2019 it is expected to become a signature piece of the 134-mile long Olympic Discovery Trail that will eventually connect Port Townsend to La Push.
