Snow Disrupts Glacier Park

The after-effects of last week’s brutal storm continue to pummel Glacier National Park, as avalanches sweep down on Going-to-the-Sun Road and highway experts study how best to repair a washed out section of the road.

Plowing crews returned to Logan Pass on Monday, finding fresh snow 8 to 12 inches deep, said park spokeswoman Amy Vanderbilt. Fifteen avalanches have buried sections of the road since last week’s storm.

“That new snow load needs to avalanche, and it is. So that’s good news,” she said.

After punching through slides Monday, crews were blasting unstable snow drifts and repairing a broken bulldozer Tuesday. Crews hope to survey the legendary Big Drift, just east of Logan Pass, on Wednesday, Vanderbilt said.

As plowing continues at Logan Pass, repair work on damaged sections of the scenic mountain road is being assessed.

Crews from the Federal Highway Administration and the Park Service were surveying damage Tuesday, particularly at a 60-foot-long washed out section on the west side of the Continental Divide.

Park spokeswoman Kristin Zwisler said cost estimates and design alternatives are being worked out.