OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Plans for a long-term temporary bridge to span a washout on Olympic Hot Springs Road have been completed and are under review, according to Olympic National Park officials.
The road, which provides access into the upper Elwha Valley, remains closed to motor vehicles at the park boundary because of a 60-foot washout near the Elwha Campground during the winter.
National Park Service and Federal Highway Administration engineers have completed plans for repairing and reopening the road to vehicles, according to Barb Maynes, park spokeswoman.
The plans are under review by the National Marine Fisheries Service, a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife — both of which are concerned that chinook and bulltrout populations are not adversely effected by construction.
The Army Corps of Engineers and state Department of Ecology also are reviewing the park’s plans.
Once plans are approved, construction will begin and is expected to be completed about eight weeks later.
Closed to vehicles
In the meantime, the road is closed to vehicles at the park gate at Madison Falls, 1 mile north of the washout.
In February, a temporary pedestrian trail was built to bypass the washed-out road, allowing hikers and bicyclists to access to the Elwha Valley trails, including the Glines Canyon overlook and Olympic Hot Springs.
So the road is open to pedestrians, bicyclists, horses and leashed pets. Trails remain closed to pets and bicycles, as usual.
Hikers planning day or overnight hikes into the Elwha Valley will need to begin their hikes at the park boundary, Maynes said.
From the closure, it is a 7-mile walk to the Whiskey Bend Trailhead and an 8-mile walk to the Boulder Creek trailhead.
Park officials have said long-term repairs to the road will be part of a planned large-scale rehabilitation of the aging visitor infrastructure of Elwha Valley roads, trails and campgrounds.
Park planners expect to begin taking public comment and complete environmental studies on the project in a year or two.
For more information about visiting Olympic National Park, see www.nps.gov/olym.
