MANY GLACIER – The major work won’t happen this year but Glacier National Park leaders are finding rebuilding of the aging Many Glacier Road shouldn’t have any significant impact on wetlands in the park’s east side valley.
The Many Glacier Road is among the oldest in the park, having been constructed between 1927 and 1931 to reach Many Glacier Lodge and the Swiftcurrent Valley.
But the road has also become one of the roughest in the park. In fact, 12-years ago a study found the road was in “fair to poor” condition with asphalt cracking and rutting, potholes and slumping, especially in the area where the bank is sliding halfway up the valley.
Last summer the park used a “durapatcher” to repair some of the damage. But the park says the entire road needs reconstruction, including the installation of a horizontal drain system. Minor repairs are planned this summer, but the major construction is likely a year or more in the future.
A new report finds less than a tenth of an acre of wetlands inside the park, and ½ an acre on the Blackfeet Reservation would be impacted by the construction.
People can review and comment on the findings until April 2. Click here to learn more information on the proposed project.
Reporting by Dennis Bragg for MTN News
