Lake Crescent, just 18 miles west of Port Angeles, is one of the more popular areas of Olympic National Park/NPS

An effort to improve 16 miles of roads that hug picturesque Lake Crescent means visitors to Olympic National Park in Washington will want to plan ahead for the next three years to avoid multi-hour closures.

The National Park Service and Federal Highway Administration will address safety and long‐term maintenance issues on 12 miles of U.S. Highway 101, a busy east-west route through the park, and four miles of East Beach Road, which accesses private residences, a resort, and several day-use areas. The project will begin in March and last up to three construction seasons, until November 2019.

“We understand the importance of the Lake Crescent Highway to our neighbors and visitors alike,” Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum said in a release. “Repairs are needed to address long-term safety and maintenance concerns, but minimizing short-term impacts and inconveniences is also a priority for us.”

To that end, work will only occur on weekdays, with no construction scheduled for weekends or holidays. In addition, daytime and nighttime delays will be limited to a half-hour during peak season between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

However, each spring and fall, up to 20 four‐hour delays, scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., are permitted. Overnight closures of up to six hours, scheduled for 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., will be allowed Mondays through Wednesdays between Labor Day and March 31. All four- and six‐hour delays will be announced two weeks in advance and posted on Olympic National Park’s website.

No construction is expected from mid-November to February.

“While a contractor has not yet been selected for the project, key aspects of the construction schedule are dictated by the terms of the contract and we have included a number of specific requirements to minimize traveler impacts,” said Creachbaum.

March

• Half‐hour delays during work hours, with short delays after hours to accommodate alternating single-lane traffic.
• Limited 4‐hour delays and 6‐hour overnight delays may be scheduled and will be announced two weeks in advance.

April-Late May

• Half‐hour delays during work hours, with short delays after hours to accommodate alternating single-lane traffic.
• Limited 4‐hour delays may be scheduled and will be announced two weeks in advance.

Memorial Day-Labor Day (summer season)

• Half‐hour delays during work hours, with short delays after hours to accommodate alternating single-lane traffic.

Early September-Mid-November

• Half‐hour delays during work hours, with short delays after hours to accommodate alternating single-lane traffic.
• Limited 4‐hour delays and 6‐hour overnight delays may be scheduled and will be announced two weeks in advance.

Mid-November-February

• No construction anticipated

Repairs to East Beach Road are expected to be completed in November 2017. The road will close to through traffic for a maximum two‐week period to replace one culvert. This closure will include one weekend between August 1 and October 31, and will be announced in advance.