OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — The road to Hurricane Ridge will be closed for three hours Wednesday (Oct. 19) while crews blast a boulder blocking a drainage ditch.
The road will be closed to both vehicles and pedestrians from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. near Milepost 11.5 on the 17-mile road, which is near the “double parking” area, said Barb Maynes, Olympic National Park spokeswoman.
Traffic could be disrupted in the uphill lane on that stretch of the road today as crews prepare for the blasting. If so, flaggers will divert alternating traffic into the downhill lane.
On Wednesday morning, crews will place charges in the blast holes and fracture the boulder.
A loader will be on-site to remove any debris on the roadway.
The road will be reopened as soon as blasting and removal operations have been safely completed, Maynes said.
Clearing the ditch line is required to allow natural flows from winter and spring snowmelt next season, keep water off of the roadway and lessen the potential for a washout or ice buildup, she said.
