OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — The start of construction for the U.S. Highway 101 rehabilitation project around Lake Crescent has been delayed until April as the bidding process continues this month.
The project will restore 12 miles of Highway 101 and 4 miles of East Beach Road along the lake in Olympic National Park.
According to Olympic National Park Ranger Jared Low, construction was originally slated to begin in March but is now scheduled to start April 27.
“Really it’s just the bidding process that got pushed back,” Low said. The bids are now expected to be opened Tuesday, he said.
The construction will cause delays through the spring, summer and fall of 2017 and in March of 2018 and 2019.
When construction starts in April, the park is anticipating half-hour delays during work hours and shorter delays after work hours to accommodate single-lane traffic.
“On the park’s website, they have the work hours posted,” Low said. “Essentially, they vary depending on the season and the length of the day, but work hours will begin two hours after sunrise and end two hours before sunset.”
The half-hour delays will continue through the spring and the park’s summer season, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and from early September to mid-November of this year.
“We’re just advising people to plan accordingly,” Low said.
From April to late May and from September to mid-November, there will likely also be the occasional four-hour delay. According to a news release from the park, the four-hour delays will only be scheduled between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and will be announced two weeks in advance so travelers will have time to plan their trips.
No more than 20 four-hour delays are permitted each spring and each fall. Emergency vehicles will have access without delay at all times. The contractor will receive monetary incentives for limiting the number of four-hour delays, according to the news release.
Overnight delays lasting up to six hours are permitted between Labor Day and March 31. All six-hour delays may occur only from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. and may only occur Mondays through Wednesdays. Emergency vehicles will have access without delay at all times.
All four-hour and six-hour overnight delays must be scheduled and announced two weeks in advance.
Delay notices will be sent to area media outlets, and all delays will be posted on the state Department of Transportation website, www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/trafficalerts, and on the Olympic National Park website, www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/conditions.htm.
The project, which is a cooperative effort between the park and the Federal Highway Administration, will replace sections of the road bed, deal with potential rock fall areas, repair and replace retaining walls, replace guardrails and repair culverts.
According to the park, 420,000 vehicles used Highway 101 in 2015 and, while the project will cause significant delays, both roads are in need of the repairs.
Repairs to East Beach Road will be completed during the 2017 construction season, with work completed by Nov. 18.
East Beach Road will close to through traffic for a maximum two-week period to replace one culvert.
This closure will include one weekend that will occur between Aug. 1 and Oct. 31 and will be scheduled and announced in advance. Monetary incentive is offered to the contractor for reducing the length of the closure, according to the news release.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@peninsuladailynews.com.
