Historic gateway repaired

MOUNT RAINIER, Wash. – Crews on Monday began the final phase of restoring the entrance arch at the Mount Rainier National Park boundary on state Route 410, using a crane to place two 70-foot log stringers in place.

Traffic was halted for about 30 minutes as each log was lowered, plus for shorter spans during the day.

Built in 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the rustic-style arch had deteriorated because of the elements and nearly 80 years of use.

The arch, designed as an entrance portal and an equestrian overpass, now also serves hikers and riders using the Pacific Crest Trail.

The structure spans the Mather Memorial Parkway at an elevation of 5,432 feet on the eastern edge of the park.

The project, which began last year, will repair or replace the deteriorated parts of the structure, including the stringers that support the bridge deck and repair of the stone masonry abutments.

“It was certainly in poor condition,” Acting Superintendent Randy King said. “Some of the masonry was falling down. The logs were showing decay. It was to the point that it was unsafe.”

The cedar stringers, measuring 36 inches in diameter, came from Canada. While the park tries to salvage logs for future use in the park, King said they had nothing in their inventory that large and long.

The $99,000 project cost came from a National Park Service project fund, not out of the park’s operating budget.

King said the importance of the project goes beyond the safety issues.

“Historic preservation is one of our responsibilities, to maintain that look and feel and function of park structures,” he said.

The arch work is similar to that done recently to preserve the Paradise Inn and Guide House, King said.

“We need to retain the historic structures and their functionality so they can be used by people for the next 50 years,” King said.