An end is in sight for the months-long closure of the Upper Hoh Road — the only access point to one of Washington’s most popular natural wonders: the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park. 

Heavy rainfall in December caused a washout, taking with it several feet of road bank, segments of the highway barrier and at least one large tree, effectively making the county-owned road unsafe for travel.  

The Hoh District, which saw approximately 460,000 visitors in 2024, has been closed to visitors ever since. 

“With regard to the Upper Hoh Road, Jefferson County Public Works does not have the funds to complete the repairs,” wrote Eric Kuzma, the county’s assistant director of Public Works, on March 4.

While the county has been pursuing several funding options, including the Federal Highways Emergency Relief program, it had come up empty, Kuzma said. He estimated the total project cost to be $650,000, with funding for rebuilding the road embankment, new paving, striping, guardrail and vegetation, and permitting and mitigation costs. 

Days later, on March 8, Jefferson County Commissioner Heidi Eisenhour and several other local representatives met with Gov. Bob Ferguson to discuss funding options. 

Gov. Ferguson informed attendees that the state Department of Commerce would provide $650,000 for the repairs as long as the county could secure up to $20,000 in matching funds, Eisenhour wrote in an email. 

“As of this morning, we have the match funding we need,” Eisenhour told The Leader in an email on March 10. “It’s going to happen!” 

Visitation to the area is critical to the Olympic National Park and the Jefferson County and Clallam County communities, Kuzma wrote. While no full-time county residents live beyond the washout, the county agreed that preserving access to the road has “substantial economic ramifications.” 

The project will go out to bid this week, Kuzma wrote. Once a contractor is selected, the repair should take three to four weeks. Because commissioners deemed the fix an emergency, the county will avoid the standard building procedures, shortening the repair process. 

“We will specify that the work be completed during the month of April,” Kuzma wrote. “Depending upon contractor availability, early May is our targeted completion date as long as we do not encounter any unforeseen delays in permitting.” 

The county doesn’t anticipate any permitting delays, given it has already discussed the situation with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Army Corps of Engineers.