The Olympic National Forest and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) will start construction on Forest Service Road 3000 (FS-30) later this month.

Last winter, the Olympic Peninsula experienced multiple atmospheric river events that increased runoff, triggering multiple debris flows and washouts which impacted multiple Forest Service Roads including a washout at mile 10.5 along FS-30.

The repair at the site along FS-30 will restore access from US 101 to US 112 via FS-30. Officials said the work will allow BPA to have access to powerlines and towers to help prevent power outages in the northwest area of the Peninsula.

“We appreciate the Forest Service’s cooperation and attention to this road, which provide us access to the power line that is vital to serving Clallam PUD customers,” said Monica Sykora, BPA Olympia District Operations and Manager. 

“The road repairs will enable us access to line sections we can’t currently access. This will increase our ability to respond in order to identify problems and make repairs when the line is damaged by wind and other potential perils,” Sykora added. “The faster we can diagnose and repair problems, the faster we can get the lights back on. This is especially important as we get closer to winter storm season.”

Work crews began hauling materials to the site earlier this week, with construction scheduled to start Monday, Oct. 24.