Glacier National Park headed for a busy construction season

Taylor Inman, Daily Inter Lake, Kalispell, Mont.
·5 min read

Mar. 23—Several major construction projects are planned in and around Glacier National Park this summer, and officials are encouraging visitors to plan ahead and prepare for traffic delays.

Crews will be finishing the Lake McDonald Utilities Project near the west entrance on May 15. The long-awaited project will see the replacement of seven miles of sewer force main, electrical and telephone lines from Apgar to the Lake McDonald Lodge along Going-to-the-Sun Road. The lift station at the lodge also is slated for replacement to reduce the threat of sewage overflow.

Park officials anticipate visitors will have vehicle and recreational access on the Going-to-the-Sun Road up to Lake McDonald Lodge by May 5 at 6 a.m. Visitors should drive and bike with caution in this area due to uneven surfaces and potholes.

After completing the utilities project, crews will pick back up on the Going-to-the-Sun Road rehabilitation project along the same stretch between Lake McDonald Lodge and Apgar. The undertaking is scheduled to begin soon after the utilities project ends in May, weather permitting.

Entry to the Sun Road from the west entrance before the 6 a.m. reservation period will be blocked owing to construction activities. To avoid congestion-related delays, officials urge visitors to use the St. Mary Entrance to access the Sun Road — and popular attractions such as Logan Pass and Avalanche — when the corridor fully opens for the season.

The construction zone likely will be closed to traffic nightly, though motorists will have opportunities to pass through at scheduled times. All affected pull-outs are anticipated to be closed through late fall.

The park's Bridge Preservation Project is continuing as well this summer, with a goal to rehabilitate 13 bridges as part of a two-year project that began last year. Work on the bridges include bridge deck and approach repairs, timber pile replacement and repairs, timber curb replacement and erosion control measures, among other improvements.

Owing to bridge construction and road conditions, all roads in the North Fork area of the park are expected to be closed to vehicle traffic until May 25. Early season work is proposed to complete bridge approach excavations before spring's end, but that timeline is dependent on weather conditions and site accessibility.

In the North Fork, the Bowman, Kintla, Akokala and Ford bridges are anticipated to have short delays from May 26 to early September. The Kintla, Akokala and Ford bridges will likely be closed to all traffic starting Sept. 5 through mid-November. The Bowman Bridge is expected to be closed to traffic Sept. 11 through mid-November. The park anticipates visitors will not have access to Bowman and Kintla areas during the construction closures, including campgrounds and trailheads.

If early season work is completed in the spring, Bowman Creek Bridge will only require a short closure in the fall.

The Fish Creek Bridge will be paved in late May before Fish Creek Campground opens for the season. The bridge is anticipated to see limited delays in traffic until its expected closure to motorized, pedestrian and bicycle traffic May 1 through May 25.

The North Fork Bridge will be resurfaced and the roadway leading up to it will be milled, paved and graded. Work on the North Fork Bridge is expected to start in April and run through late fall. Visitors should expect short delays when crossing the bridge.

Located along Chief Mountain Highway, the Lee Creek Bridge will see short delays starting September and running through late fall.

In addition to the Bridge Preservation Project, crews also will be grading the last five miles of the road to Kintla Lake from July through the fall. Visitors need to use caution as there will be heavy truck traffic and minor delays.

In early April, Upper McDonald Creek Bridge replacement work will begin on upper McDonald Creek. The bridge provides access to the northwest shore of Lake McDonald, including private homes, the Lake McDonald Ranger Station and trailheads. The new bridge will be built approximately 30 feet upstream of the existing bridge, requiring a realignment of road approaches.

During construction, North Lake McDonald Road will see a full closure to all traffic beginning at its intersection with the Sun Road. There will be no public access, including by cyclists and hikers, and no parking at this intersection. Hikers will be unable to complete the Johns Lake Loop Trail while work is ongoing. Bridge work is expected to run through the entire 2023 construction season and wrap up in late 2024.

Construction work will take place outside of the park, too. A portion of Glacier Drive, which is north of Polebridge and en route to a park entrance, will undergo construction work starting July 10. Construction within the business area of Polebridge will begin Aug. 14 and parking will be restricted inside the work area until it is completed.

Under these conditions, visitors should expect 30-minute delays before arriving at or departing from the North Fork entrance of the park.

Paving and chip reseal work will resume in the Marias Pass area of U.S. 2 this spring. Expect some traffic control, with single lane restrictions and short delays throughout the summer.

The section of U.S. 89 immediately east and south of St. Mary will be under construction this summer. This is the continuation of a multiyear project. Expect some traffic control, with single lane restrictions and short delays between Hudson Bay Divide and Kiowa.

Anyone wanting to learn about construction projects in Glacier National Park this year can find more information on the park's website under the "plan your visit" tab. More information about projects happening outside of the park can be found on the Montana Department of Transportation's website: https://www.mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/hudsonbay/.