OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — The foot bridge over Sol Duc Falls will be closed for replacement beginning today.
The closure is expected to be in effect for a week, through May 22, so that the refurbished bridge will be in place for the Memorial Day Weekend, Penny Wagner, Olympic National Park spokeswoman, said in an email issued Tuesday.
The bridge decking and railings will be replaced for the first time since the early 1990s, she said.
“It’s a very wet environment,” Wagner said, noting that the bridge is “an important link for people to get into the back country.”
The bridge will be impassable for the duration of the project.
The wood that will be used was milled from Old Growth fir trees that toppled during storms in the park. It took 78 mules to haul the 11,000 pounds of wood to the site.
The Sol Duc Falls/Deer Lake Trail will be closed from the Canyon Creek (Sol Duc Falls) Shelter to the Deer Lake and Lovers Lane junction. The closure will include the Sol Duc Falls Bridge and the falls viewing platform area and will be in effect 24 hours a day. Access beyond the closure area to Deer Lake will be possible via the Lovers Lane Trail, which begins at the Sol Duc Resort.
Park crews are doing the work, which will cost about $49,000, counting all the preparation and labor. The money is within the park budget, Wagner said.
For current road and travel information, visitors can consult the park website at www.nps.gov/olym/index.htm and call the recorded Road and Weather Hotline at 360-565-3131.
