SR 161 Construction May Cause Delays Heading To Rainier

EATONVILLE, WA — Anyone looking to get out and enjoy Mt. Rainier National park next week will want to plan ahead for some delays— or find an alternate route.

The Washington State Department of Transportation says a roadway surface improvement project is likely to cause some headaches for drivers taking State Route 161 through the Eatonville area.

Starting Tuesday, June 22 crews will be making repairs to SR 161 both north and south of Eatonville — from milepost 7.01 to milepost 8.93 in the north, and from milepost 0 to milepost 2.5 south of town.

The speed limit will be cut from 55 to 35 mph in those construction zones. WSDOT warns there will also be intermittent lane closures on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., so drivers heading through the area will need to plan for some delays and should expect a longer travel time through the area.

SR 161 is used by thousands of drivers every day as one of the main approaches to Mount Rainier National Park, but it's been getting a little run down lately and WSDOT says these repairs are necessary to get the road back into shape for the summer travel season.

The project is expected to last through early July, at which point crews will begin chip scaling four miles of the highway.