PORT ANGELES — Work on U.S. Highway 101 around Lake Crescent will resume this week.
A tree that has been determined to be a hazard will be removed near Barnes Point on Wednesday. On Thursday, work will resume on the rehabilitation project begun last year.
At 9 a.m. Wednesday, the state Department of Transportation will close Highway 101 at milepost 225.5 just west of Barnes Point.
Pacific Northwest Tree Service will cut a Douglas fir snag over 150 feet tall, said Penny Wagner, Olympic National Park spokeswoman.
Department of Transportation crews will clear the roadway with heavy equipment, she said, and once the road is passable enough, alternating single-lane traffic will be allowed through until the roadway is completely open.
The duration of the closure could last an hour or longer, depending upon the amount of clearing needed, Wagner said.
To avoid the delay, drivers could plan to be through the area prior to 9 a.m., she suggested.
For real-time information, check https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/trafficalerts/.
On Thursday, Strider Construction, Inc. will resume road work on the Lake Crescent section of Highway 101.
The Bellingham company was awarded the $27.5 million project a year ago and work began last summer to rehabilitate 12 miles of U.S. Highway 101 around Lake Crescent and the 4-mile adjacent East Beach Road.
This will mark the beginning of the second of three construction seasons, set from March through mid-November.
The work for 2018 includes erosion control, subexcavation, milling and paving beginning on the eastern end of Lake Crescent and working west.
The contractor is planning a series of four-hour daytime delays and six-hour overnight delays. These longer delays are not permitted during the busy summer season between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
The first planned six-hour overnight delays for this construction season are scheduled to begin next Monday, March 19 and continue through Wednesday, March 21 and then be in force again March 26-28. The delays will be from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m..
During the six-hour overnight periods, Highway 101 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 at East Beach Road.
Travelers to and from the western side of the North Olympic Peninsula can use state highways 112 and 113 as an alternate route during the delay.
The first four-day set of four-hour delays for this construction season are scheduled to be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 2 through April 5, weather permitting. The contractor plans to use the four-hour delays daily Monday through Thursday until all 20 of the allotted four-hour delays are utilized, Wagner said.
The location of the work for the four-hour periods will move as the deep patch work progresses with more information forthcoming.
Outside of the scheduled four- and six-hour delays, drivers should continue to expect up to half-hour delays during weekday work hours.
Work hours will vary according to season and the length of the day. From April 2 through Sept. 21, road work will be restricted to two hours after sunrise to two hours before sunset.
Work will occur on weekdays only and will not be scheduled on holidays or weekends.
This project is being managed collaboratively by the Federal Highway Administration and the National Park Service.
For more information, see http://tinyurl.com/PDN-101delays.
