The Westside Road on the southwest side of Mount Rainier National Park has been closed effective this afternoon. The closure is necessary for park staff to repair flood damage at Milepost 3.1 that occurred during the historic floods last November.

The repair project is expected to take approximately three weeks, depending on weather conditions.

The closure covers all public access, including driving, hiking and cycling.

For previous coverage of the Floods of 2006, go to www.thenewstribune.com/rainier.