Glacier Park's road work begins, plows at Triple Arches

This summer promises to have plenty of road construction in and around Glacier National Park.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road will see utility work, which includes replacing sewer, electric and telephone lines from the foot of Lake McDonald to 1,000 feet west of Sprague Creek campground this year.

That means single-lane closures with a traffic light during the day and a full closure at night from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

With the closure, motorists will not be able to enter the West Entrance before 6 a.m. as construction traffic will be using the road from Apgar to what’s known as the old baseball fields off the Sun Road.

That work was scheduled to start on the evening of June 1.

The section from the foot of Lake McDonald to just before the lodge will close completely on Oct. 1. Work on the utilities will continue throughout the winter, with completion expected in May of next year.

The east side will still be open to Logan Pass before 6 a.m. But from Columbia Falls, it’s about a 2-1/2 hour drive just to the St. Mary entrance, nevermind going up the Sun Road to Logan Pass.

Logan Pass won’t open any earlier than June 27, the Park recently announced.

For vehicular traffic, the Sun Road is now open to Avalanche Creek on the west side and Rising Sun on the east side. On the west side, folks are reminded they need a reservation to access the road from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. They also need a reservation to access the North Fork (Polebridge) Entrance to the Park from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Park plows on the west side are working at Triple Arches and Siyeh Bend on the east side, though the avalanche danger has been high this year. The snowpack is currently 147% of average in the Flathead River Basin. Trails, particularly on the east side of the park, are often still covered in snow.

Other road construction, utilities and bridgework are planned as well.

The Inside North Fork Road will see bridgework over several creeks. That means single-lane closures beginning July 18 and full closures beginning Sept. 6. These closures primarily impact hiker and biker access between Logging and Camas Creek.

On the east side, the Lee Creek Bridge on Highway 17 will see work. Folks should expect single closures there.

Rising Sun will see utility work and the trailhead to Otokomi Lake will be blocked beginning Sept. 11.

The St. Mary Visitor Center will see work through the month of June, including the replacement of a column and the roof on the bathroom.

At Two Medicine, the Appistoki Creek Bridge will see repairs. Expect single-lane closures and a full closure on Sept. 6.

Outside the Park, more construction is planned for Highway 89. Folks should expect delays traveling to St. Mary.