OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Work to rehabilitate three tunnels on Hurricane Ridge Road is finished and will no longer delay motorists.
Since work began 10 weeks ago, drivers heading for Olympic National Park’s Hurricane Ridge south of Port Angeles on weekdays could expect single-lane traffic and delays of up to 20 or 30 minutes.
The contractor for the $379,000 project — MJ Hughes Construction, based in Vancouver, Wash. — finished the work Nov. 14, the park said Friday.
Crews repaired and sealed more than 7,500 feet of cracks through all three tunnels, installed bicycle-friendly grates and applied a new coat of reflective interior paint to provide improved visibility, the park said.
Work on another stretch of Hurricane Ridge Road is expected to be completed by Thanksgiving.
Motorists traveling the road south of Port Angeles on weekdays may encounter delays of up to 15 minutes as park crews install 700 feet of conduit between the park entrance station at the Heart o’ the Hills campground and the road gate in a $24,750 project.
The project will complete a 12-mile stretch of conduit for a new fiber-optic-cable telecommunication system for Ridge facilities, most of which was laid in 2008 during a $12 million resurfacing project.
The new cable will replace an aging microwave radio communication system and provide improved communications for Hurricane Ridge facilities, the park said.
The cable is expected to arrive in December, but when it will be installed — and when the new system will go live — depends on the weather and may not occur until spring.
The new system is expected to save the park $17,600 annually in lease and rental fees for equipment, she said.
Hurricane Ridge Road is open as conditions and staffing allow, the park said.
The winter plowing season will begin Nov. 29.
As of Nov. 15, tire chains are required to be carried in all vehicles on the road until April 1.
Current road information is available by phoning the park’s recorded information line at 360-565-3131 or visiting www.nps.gov/olym.
