Although Glacier National Park officials hoped that Going-to-the-Sun Road could be opened over Logan Pass by Friday, now they project an opening by the middle of next week.

A weekend storm dumped another 10 inches on the higher elevations of the historic highway, where a total of 35 inches of snow has fallen since Memorial Day weekend.

“Our goal has been to open access to Logan Pass by mid-June and we believe we can accomplish that by the middle of next week, weather dependent,” said Kym Hall, the park’s deputy superintendent. “The weather has been challenging the past couple of weeks, but the plowing crew has put in extra time and done an exceptional job to provide mid-June access.”

Crews continue to work on the Big Drift, a 25- to 30-foot drift located about a quarter mile east of the Logan Pass Visitor Center.

After plowing through the drift, it’s expected that crews will encounter about a foot of ice. Work also is under way to remove snow and debris from recent slide activity, to clear snow along the roadside for two-lane travel, and to clear snow from the visitor center parking lot.

“In addition to all the snow removal, crews have to install hundreds of guardrails along the road,” Hall said, adding that the work is time-consuming but necessary.

Currently, 29 miles of Sun Road are open to vehicle travel. Visitors can 15.5 miles from the west entrance to Avalanche Creek, and on the east side, they can drive 13.5 miles from St. Mary to Jackson Glacier Overlook.

By this weekend, it’s expected that hikers and bikers will be able to travel to Bird Woman Falls on the west side and Siyeh Bend on the east side.

Hiker-biker access can change dependent on road construction work.