Highway repair will close lanes in Gorge in Oregon

A yearlong project beginning Monday to repair the Historic Columbia River Highway’s Crown Point viaduct will cause lane closures, traffic delays and a three-month closure of the historic Vista House.

The project includes repairing deteriorating support columns on the 600-foot concrete viaduct and repaving 3 miles of the highway between Larch Mountain Road and Latourell Falls and is intended to enhance safety during travel on the highway and visits to the circa 1918 house.

Lane closures begin Monday. The Vista House is scheduled to close altogether from Oct. 1 until Dec. 31.

Here is the closure schedule:

o July 16 to Aug. 31: Periodic weekday lane closures and traffic delays of up to 30 minutes on the highway from Larch Mountain Road to Bridal Veil Falls. Vista House is open.

o Sept. 4 to Sept. 30: The highway from Crown Point to Latourell Falls is closed to all traffic, including pedestrians. The highway from Larch Mountain Road to Crown Point is closed to vehicles longer than 25 feet. Vista House is open.

o Oct. 1 to Dec. 31: The highway from Larch Mountain Road to Latourell Falls is closed to all traffic. The highway from Latourell Falls to Bridal Veil Falls is closed to vehicles longer than 25 feet. Vista House is closed.

o Jan. 1 to April 1: Infrequent lane closures. Vista House is open on its winter schedule.

o April 1 to late spring 2013: Periodic lane closures with specifics to be determined. Vista House is open.

For details, visit http://wfl.fhwa.dot.gov/projects/or/crownpoint.