OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Four-hour delays are planned for more than five weeks beginning April 15 on U.S. Highway 101 around Lake Crescent.
The traffic delays will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays through May 23, said Penny Wagner, Olympic National Park spokeswoman.
Workers will complete road restoration near milepost 229 by constructing a mechanically stabilized earth retaining wall, Wagner said.
These longer delays are not permitted during the busy summer season between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
During the four-hour delays, the highway for drivers traveling eastbound from Forks will be open to the turn for Barnes Point, where Lake Crescent Lodge is located.
Highway 101 westbound from Port Angeles will remain open up to mile marker 232/East Beach Road.
Travelers to and from the western side of the North Olympic Peninsula can use state Highway 112/113 as an alternate route during the delay.
Outside of the scheduled four-hour delays, drivers will encounter delays of up to a half-hour during weekday work hours.
Work hours are restricted to two hours after sunrise to two hours before sunset.
Strider Construction Inc. of Bellingham is the contractor for the $27.5 million project to rehabilitate 12 miles of highway around the lake. The final phase of the three-year project began in March.
The work for 2019 includes completing the guardrail replacement, restoring the road width near milepost 229, paving the final 2½-inch wearing surface, striping and sign replacement.
This project is being managed collaboratively by the Federal Highway Administration and the National Park Service.
The National Park Service website has timeline information on the project.
For project updates, visit the Federal Highway Administration website.
For information in real-time, check the state Department of Transportation traffic alert website.
