Snow hampering Park openings

Despite snow and lousy weather, Park crews are making headway in this seemingly eternal winter.

A crew from Belton Chalet Inc., the concessionaire that runs Granite Park Chalet, headed up to the high-county chalet with gear and supplies in preparation of summer visitors. The concessionaire has postponed the opening from June 28 to July 1. The chalet is still socked in with deep snows.

"They're going to do everything they can to open on time," Park spokeswoman Ellen Blickhan said.

Meanwhile, Park plow crews continue to plug away at the Going-to-the-Sun Road. They have pioneered beyond Triple Arches on the west side and are past the east side tunnel on the east side of Logan Pass.

Triple Arches is less than two miles from the pass, but crews still have a major obstacle to clear - the Big Drift, just east of Logan Pass. To speed up the process, crews have started working an extra day a week.

Starting this week, HK Contractors, the contractor for the Sun Road rehabilitation project, will begin night work beyond the Avalanche Creek closure. No travel will be allowed through the construction zone outside of a 15-minute window from 2 a.m. to 2:15 a.m. Monday night through Friday mornings. The crews will not work on Friday evenings, which will allow for hiking and biking.

Other Park roads have opened. The Cut Bank Road is now open to the ranger station, but the campground is still closed because of wet conditions. The Quarter Circle Bridge Road is closed due to flooding, and the Inside North Fork Road is washed out at Anaconda Creek, an area that has had problems in the past. That road won't see a fix until after the Sun Road opens, Blickhan said.