Portions of the Mount Washington Auto Road in New Hampshire were washed out Monday morning due to flash runoff caused by heavy rain and melting snow near the summit, according to the Mount Washington Auto Road.
The road was damaged around 1.6 miles below the summit, near the “6 mile Park,” a small pull off area for drivers, due to snow from the past week melting, as well as 3 inches of rain the summit received Monday, said Meghan Moody Schwartz, a spokesperson for the Mount Washington Auto Road.
“We typically allow the water that naturally comes from the top of the mountain to slide under the road,” Schwartz said. “But with the extreme amount of water, it did run over.”
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Crews began working to repair the road Monday, and continued to work Tuesday through snowy conditions, Schwartz said,
The snowy conditions are expected to continue Wednesday, she said.
“We don’t anticipate the snow affecting the repair itself. It’s more a problem of visibility with the crews,” Schwartz said. “The road crew is quite soggy standing next to me right now.”
The road is still on track to hold its Spring Adventure Guided Tour to Craigway Drift on May 6 and May 7, Schwartz said, and its projected opening dates later this May have not changed.
Claire Law can be reached at claire.law@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @claire_law_.