OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — In two respects, Tuesday marks another significant day in the countdown for removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams, a monumental tear-down project that begins in just 10 weeks.
Lower Dam Road, which leads from state Highway 112 to the Elwha Dam, will close to public access Tuesday.
It is expected to be open to pedestrian access by the time the Glines Canyon and Elwha dams start being removed beginning
Sept. 17, Olympic National Park officials said Friday.
Also on Tuesday, the park will begin posting blog entries on the $325 million Elwha River Restoration Project at nps.gov/olym, park spokeswoman Barb Maynes said.
“A range of things happening” with the project will be posted on the site, Maynes said.
Barnard Construction, Inc., the contractor for the $26.9 million removal of dams, will install a gate just south of Elwha RV Park that will close off the road for the duration of dam removal, expected to take three years, the park said in a prepared statement.
Over the coming weeks, Barnard employees will begin minor road upgrades, including the removal of approved trees and widening the road.
A trail will be built by mid-September to an overlook that will allow viewers to watch as the dam is torn down, park spokesman Dave Reynolds said.
“A trails crew has been to the site to identify a route,” he said.
Additional work taking place this summer includes testing and removal of hazardous materials from the Elwha powerplant, including asbestos and lead-based paint.
The power plant was shut down June 1.
Major demolition work at the dam will begin in mid-September, with the majority of Barnard employees and equipment mobilizing in late August.
Forty to 50 Barnard workers are expected to work on the dam tear-down portion of the $325 million Elwha River restoration project, the largest project of its kind ever attempted and one intended to restore salmon to the river.
Fish have been blocked from swimming upstream since the 108-foot-tall Elwha Dam was completed in 1913 and the 210-foot Glines Canyon Dam in 1927.
The Elwha Dam is about five miles upstream from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the Glines Canyon Dam is about 18 miles from the Strait, both blocking about 70 miles of the river and its tributaries.
Barnard was the contractor for recently completed road repairs at Fisherman’s Corner, along Olympic Hot Springs Road approximately one mile south of the park boundary.
The road reopened Wednesday, once again permitting access to the Elwha campground, which is open year-round, and Altair campground, which will remain open through
Sept. 6, its normal operating season.
Road repairs included erosion control and replacing asphalt along a 2,000-foot section of road.
Work was subcontracted to Bruch & Bruch Inc. and Lakeside Industries, both of Port Angeles, and performed as a modification to the dam removal contract.
On Aug. 1, Olympic Hot Springs Road will be gated and closed at a point just beyond Altair campground for the duration of dam removal.
Final designs for repairs to the 4.5-mile Whiskey Bend Road are still being developed.
The repairs will correct extensive damage caused by heavy rains last December.
The road remains open to pedestrians, bicyclists and stock users.