'They've been having a heck of a time'

A series of avalanches following recent snowstorms have caused setbacks for plows trying to clear snow from Glacier National Park's Going-to-the-Sun Road.

This week, the park's west-side road crew encountered "numerous slides from the Oberlin Bend area all the way down to Triple Arches," said John Kilpatrick, Glacier's facilities manager.

The crew's plowing equipment was located in safety zones below Oberlin Bend in the Rimrocks area.

"They had to hike up to get it and bring it back down to Triple Arches to start from there," Kilpatrick said, noting that the crew had to work its way through avalanche debris 20 to 30 feet in depth.

"They've been having a heck of a time," said Jack Gordon, a park engineer. "It's my understanding they've been through the Triple Arches area four times."

There was less slide activity east of Logan Pass, where the Hudson Bay road crew now is working above the East Tunnel.

That progress, Gordon said, may allow for "prime and blotter" temporary surfacing to be put down on a short stretch of storm-damaged road that was repaired last summer. The goal is to have the surfacing work finished before the road is opened to vehicle traffic over Logan Pass.

About 1.5 miles of road in the West Tunnel area, meanwhile, will have a gravel surface this summer, Gordon said.

That section was the focus of comprehensive reconstruction work last summer. The project contractor, HK Construction, has been working for several weeks between the West Tunnel and Haystack and that work will continue for the next few months.

Once the pass is opened, there will be single-lane travel with pilot cars and traffic lights through parts of the construction zone. Combined construction-related delays on the road cannot exceed 30 minutes.

Currently, motorists can drive 15.5 miles from the park's west entrance to the Avalanche Campground area. On the east side, visitors can drive 13.5 miles from the St. Mary entrance to Jackson Glacier Overlook.

Hikers and bikers can travel beyond the gates at the overlook and Avalanche.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com