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NPS
Contact: Denise Germann, 406-888-5838 Contact: Jennifer Lutman, 406-888-7895 WEST GLACIER, MONT. -It is estimated that approximately 800-900 cubic yards of material remains on the Going-to-the-Sun Road near Big Bend as a result of rock and mud slides on Tuesday afternoon. Approximately 12 slides occurred above The Loop to an area near the Triple Arches. The road is closed from Avalanche Creek to Logan Pass, and it is anticipated to be open by Thursday evening, weather and road conditions permitting. Glacier National Park road crews and members of the road rehabilitation contractor, HK Contractors, Inc., began road clearing efforts Tuesday evening, and have been working all day today. Debris remains on the road and in culverts and ditches. Various equipment and hand shoveling are being utilized to remove debris. Almost 150 vehicles were in the area during Tuesday's incident. One vehicle sustained damage that required a tow truck to remove it from the area and the occupants of that vehicle sustained minor injuries that were attended to at the scene. No one was seriously injured. A short and heavy rain event was reported Tuesday afternoon that triggered the slides. The Avalanche Creek area is very congested and visitors are encouraged to explore other areas of the park during this time. The park's road status webpage will be updated as soon as access becomes available at https:///www.nps.gov/applications/glac/roadstatus/roadstatus.cfm. Photos of the incident are available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/glaciernps. |
Last updated: February 24, 2015