By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch Wondering what Mount Rainier National Park has to show so far for its $32 million remake of the Nisqually-to-Paradise road? The answer includes this: The best is still to come. Work began earlier this year on repairs of 17.6 miles of road between the park's Nisqually entrance and the Paradise recreation area. Officials promise the end result will be a better motoring experience for park visitors when the work is finished in 2017. The project will be done in two phases, each taking about two years. Phase 1 includes conduits and junction vaults beneath road surfaces, as well as improvements to the road's substructure and drainage between the Nisqually entrance and Longmire. That includes paving and substructure work on Ricksecker Point Loop and Paradise Valley Road. Phase 2 should begin in 2016 at Longmire and end at Paradise in 2017. Here's the latest progress update from park officials: " Ricksecker Point and Paradise Valley Road (the latter is the one-way road from Paradise to Stevens Canyon Road) closed for the season on Sept. 2 to allow road repairs to begin. The higher-elevation roads are more likely to see snow before the lower section of the Nisqually to Paradise road, but if the weather allows, work will continue until that portion of the project is finished. " After that, crews will switch their attention to the road from the Nisqually entrance to Longmire. They hoped to start in mid-October. " New guard rails have been installed on the road near Kautz Creek. The federally funded project is a response to deteriorating road conditions brought on by ravages of rain and snow, structural and design deficiencies, large traffic volumes, and normal wear and tear from vehicles carrying approximately 1 million visitors a year into the park. Roadwork and associated traffic delays have been and will continue to be an inconvenience for the public, but park officials note the eventual result will be a better experience for visitors and more longevity for the only road that provides access year-round to the popular Paradise area.
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