OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Upper Hoh Road remained closed at the Olympic National Park boundary Wednesday because of storm damage that occurred late last week, park officials said.
The road to the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center is expected to reopen with one-lane traffic past a slide area in mid-November, park spokeswoman Barb Maynes said.
A rain-swollen Hoh River undercut a section of the road about 5 miles upstream from the park boundary, making the outside lane unsafe for motorists, Maynes said.
Crews will shore up the slide area with rock to prevent further damage to the road base.
“That will be done in short order,” Maynes said.
After the road is protected, crews will begin clearing out “many, many downed trees” that blew over in high winds late last week, Maynes said.
The last step is to set up a temporary one-lane road around the washout area.
“That is going to require a temporary traffic light system because the washout is on a blind corner,” Maynes said.
The recent storms also caused minor damage to Olympic Hot Springs Road west of Port Angeles, Maynes said. The repairs are expected to be completed within the “next couple of weeks,” she said.
Meanwhile, park officials announced Wednesday that Deer Park Road and Obstruction Point Road in the high country are closed for the season.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsula dailynews.com.
