Crater Lake Lodge, buried in deep snow at the moment, is expected to be open from May 12 to mid-October, which is later than normal.

CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK — Open, then closed, and possibly reopened, then closed again.

East Rim Drive at Crater Lake National Park, which has been closed for construction in recent months, fully opened to all traffic earlier this week. But then a Tuesday snowstorm resulted in it being closed on Wednesday. After more snow fell Wednesday night, it was still closed Thursday.

Park officials said the closure is temporary, but it can’t reopen until snowplows clear the road.

Park Superintendent Craig Ackerman said reopening will happen “as skies clear,” but conditions will be assessed on a daily basis because some high-elevation areas received up to 6 inches of fallen and drifting snow.

“We will wait to make the decision on further road closures until Friday night or Saturday morning based on conditions that develop,” Ackerman said.

The section of East Rim Drive from the Cleetwood Cove trailhead parking lot was closed most of the summer because of ongoing road reconstruction. The project is expected to take five years and is limited to work in the summer because of the park’s routinely heavy snow. The section slated for 2023 rehabilitation has been completed. The road up to the Cloudcap Overlook also reopened, but that section will retain a gravel surface until next year.

“Snow permitting,” park officials said, “all of Rim Drive will remain open until Nov. 1, unless there is significant snowfall before that date. Thank you all for your patience and understanding as we make our way toward a smoother, more stable Rim Road.”

The park will be open Saturday morning for eclipse viewers, but the status of driving along East Rim Drive is weather-dependent. Because seasonal interpretative rangers have completed their summer season, no eclipse-related programs will be offered.

Park officials released a statement about the East Rim Drive project, saying, “Good progress was made this year on improving the road conditions on East Rim Drive. The project will resume next summer to work on another section of the historic roadway.”

Funded through the Great American Outdoor Act’s Legacy Restoration Fund, the multiyear East Rim Drive project is expected to cost about $56 million. Steve Manning Construction of Redding, California, was awarded the contract through the Federal Highway Administration.

“Constructed in the 1930s, the narrow, wavy, potholed, rockfall-damaged roadway is structurally failing and in desperate need of an upgrade,” park officials said in a news release. “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.

“We greatly appreciate the support to get this major project funded,” Ackerman said. “It is one of the park’s highest deferred maintenance and repair priorities and will help ensure a safe visitor experience on the historic East Rim Drive.”

For updated information on possible road closures, visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/crla.