Olympic National Park, which has been beaten and battered in recent years by powerful storms, lost a 100-foot section of roadway leading up to Hurricane Ridge when soil saturated by recent heavy rains slid and took out the road.

The slide Monday afternoon forced park officials to close much of the 17-mile-long Hurricane Ridge Road indefinitely, Olympic Superintendent Karen Gustin said Tuesday. The slide is just beyond the Lake Dawn Road intersection; access to Lake Dawn is unaffected.

The road closure applies to all entry, including bicycle, foot, stock and vehicle, park officials said in a release. The slide area is still active, and soil is continuing to move down slope, undercutting the remaining narrow strip of asphalt.

“We recognize how important access is to this area and are working as quickly as possible to develop a plan for rebuilding the lost section of road. With that in mind, engineers from the Federal Highways Administration will be here tomorrow to assist,” said Superintendent Karen Gustin. “In the meantime, safety concerns dictate that all public access beyond the closure is curtailed.”

Park staff first saw signs of damage to the road late on Saturday afternoon, when members of the road crew noticed cracks and slight slumping in the road’s downhill lane just north of Heart O’the Hills. A safety inspection early on Sunday confirmed the initial reports and travel was reduced to one lane only, using the uphill lane of the road. Immediate repair action was taken as road crew members filled the cracks and spread gravel to alleviate the uneven road surface, the park said.

The road was closed on Monday due to high winds and white-out conditions at Hurricane Ridge. Meanwhile, road crew members cut and removed a number of small trees on the slope beneath the road in an effort to protect and preserve the road, and had hoped to open the road later in the day. Less than an hour later, however, the slope failed and slid downhill, taking most of the road with it.

A timeline for reopening the road has not yet been developed, although early estimates suggest that repairs may take at least a month to six weeks to complete. Park officials promised frequent updates and additional information will be released as soon as it becomes available.

While a rockslide closed the Hurricane Ridge Road for a number of days last summer, back in December 2007 another vigorous storm washed out sections of both the Hurricane Ridge Road and the Hoh Road.

For information about alternative destinations within Olympic National Park, people may consult the park's website at www.nps.gov/olym or call the Olympic National Park Visitor Center at 360-565-3130. The recorded Road and Weather Hotline is updated throughout the day with changes and can be reached by calling 360-565-3131.