July 14, 2023 3:00 a.m.

The scenic drive around the country’s deepest lake will be safer and smoother because of the Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Restoration Fund.

A National Parks Service release said an approximately $56 million dollar project, scheduled to start at Crater Lake National Park this summer, will improve about 19 miles of East Rim Drive and a portion of the Cloudcap Spur Road.

The historic East Rim Drive extends along the southern, eastern, and northern rim of the Crater Lake caldera, providing visitor access to panoramic views, a campground, hiking trails, picnic areas, geological formations, waterfalls, and overlooks of the volcanic caldera now filled with clear, blue water.

The release said constructed in the 1930s, the narrow wavy, potholed, rockfall-damaged roadway is structurally failing and in desperate need of an upgrade. The project will stabilize the road, replace sections of pavement and incorporate modern safety standards for sight lines, curvature, and elevation changes to ensure a consistent travel width and more stable shoulder. It will also repair guard walls on several damaged historic rock walls, improve drainage structures, prevent further erosion, strengthen shoulders and enhance parking areas with accessibility-compliant slopes, markings, curb cuts, walkways and overlooks.

The release said the revamped road will better protect the 1,943-foot-deep lake and other natural cultural, and recreational features of the park. The new grading and drainage system will prevent erosion issues and divert stormwater away from Crater Lake’s famous pristine water. Road improvements will reduce congestion areas and increase public access and opportunities for recreation, including biking, hiking, camping, fishing, birding, and stargazing.

The project should take about five years to complete.

More information on the project is linked: https://www.nps.gov/crla/learn/news/historic-east-rim-drive-to-undergo-major-rehabilitation.htm