Emergency Repairs Getting Underway on Alpine Portion of Going-to-the-Sun
Road
November 2006 storm damage to be repaired in two phases before entire Sun
Road opens for summer


WEST GLACIER, MONT. – On Wednesday of this week, Glacier National Park’s
east side plowing crew reached the area below the east tunnel on the
Going-to-the-Sun Road (Sun Road). Weather permitting, this will allow road
repairs to begin for damage that occurred in November 2006 during a
tropical storm that hit the Pacific and Inland northwest states. On the
heels of the torrential rain storm, a winter weather storm occurred just a
few days later, prompting heavy snow accumulations and icy conditions along
the alpine portion of the Sun Road and thus preventing any repairs from
occurring until now.


Park officials report that there are three sections of damage that must be
repaired before a temporary two-lane bridge can be installed across the
washout and thereby allow repair work to proceed up the road to the
uppermost alpine damage site where a new retaining wall must be built
before the entire 50-mile roadway can be opened for vehicle traffic. As a
result of this unexpected road work and the need to stockpile supplies and
materials nearby in the Sun Point parking lot, all east side oversized
vehicles will be required to park at the Rising Sun boat launch this season
until further notice.


“Regardless of road repairs and rehabilitation, we want to reiterate that
Glacier National Park is open and will be open for normal visitor services
this season,” stated Mick Holm, park superintendent. “Although visitors
won’t be able to drive across the entire Sun Road this June, they can still
enjoy a host of recreational activities and visitor services and enjoy the
lower elevation portions of the scenic Sun Road.”


Holm indicated that there are a total of six sites where storm damage must
be stabilized along the road below the east tunnel. Five sites sustained
loss of a partial lane and will also require having rock debris removed
from the roadway. At one site, the washout removed both lanes of the road.
Phase I of this work will be conducted by Sandry Construction of Bigfork as
a modification to their existing road construction contract.


Phase II will be undertaken as a separate short-term contract that will
soon be let by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for the remaining
storm damage work, including the bridge installation. This contract is
expected to be announced soon and work will commence as quickly as
possible.


The short-term contractor will undertake construction of the temporary
steel bridge across the two-lane washout. This work will entail the
contractor literally building the bridge across the gap section by section
until it is secured and anchored on the uphill side.


Once the temporary 125-foot bridge is in place, the contractor will move up
the road to repair the remaining two locations east of Logan Pass,
including the construction of a new retaining wall.


According to Holm, “The two-lane bridge will remain in place throughout the
summer while rebuilding occurs underneath the steel span. The goal will be
for this storm repair work to continue throughout the summer and fall and
remove the bridge before winter weather sets in.”


On the west side, rehabilitation work on the Sun Road will begin on or
about July 1 between the tunnel and Haystack Creek, a distance of 3.5
miles. This section of road will be the first work to be accomplished under
the soon-to-be-selected indefinite delivery / indefinite quantities (IDIQ)
contract which will allow for ongoing work without the delays from contract
negotiations.