Mount Rainier National Park announces that sections of State Route 410 and State Route 123 between the Sunrise Road and the Stevens Canyon Road, to include Cayuse and Chinook passes, will experience a delayed opening as a result of spring snow conditions and a significant construction project.
The expected opening of both SR 410 Chinook Pass and SR 123 Cayuse Pass is June 11.
Contractors will begin work on April 30 to repair a quarter mile of SR 410 near milepost 64 along the Mather Parkway in Mount Rainier National Park. For several years, motorists have experienced rough road surfaces at this location related to a slow moving and deep-seated landside.
Due to the extensive nature of the work to be completed during a short construction window and additional heavy snowfall this spring, SR 410 will remain closed just south of the junction with the Sunrise Road near White River, and SR 123 will also remain closed at the Stevens Canyon Road junction.
This road repair project was timed to have the least impact possible on the traveling public with the work beginning before the road typically reopens in the spring. Following the anticipated June 11 road reopening, project work will continue until late June. During that time travelers should expect short delays with alternating one-way traffic between mileposts 64 and 64.5.
“For generations, the Mather Parkway has provided access to scenic vistas and recreational opportunities within Mount Rainier National Park,” said Chip Jenkins, park Superintendent. “This important investment in our roadways will stabilize the road, preserve a historic roadway, and improve the safety for the travelling public.”
Mount Rainier National Park is targeting May 11 to open the park’s southeast entrance near Packwood, providing access via SR 123 to the Grove of the Patriarchs area. Portable restrooms will be placed at the Grove parking area until the primary restrooms are opened for the season.
The northeast entrance to Mount Rainier National Park near Enumclaw is expected to open on May 18, with access via SR 410 from the park entrance near Crystal Mountain Boulevard to the White River Campground parking lot. This will provide recreational opportunities in the White River area of the park in advance of the road to Sunrise opening for the summer. Conditions permitting, the road to Sunrise typically opens by the July 4th weekend.
Park information, announcements, and the Mount Rainier webcams are available on the park’s official website www.nps.gov/mora. Learn about the park by joining the Mount Rainier community on Facebook facebook.com/MountRainierNPS or on Tumblr mountrainiernps.tumblr.com/; find out breaking news and road status updates through Mount Rainier’s Twitter feed twitter.com/MountRainierNPS; explore the park and behind-the-scenes operations with our videos on YouTube youtube.com/MountRainierNPS; and share your own photos of Mount Rainier on Instagram @MountRainierNPS or in the Mount Rainier Flickr group flickr.com/groups/
