North Park Road Improvement Project Begins in Grand Teton National Park

July 22, 2008
08-43
Superintendent Mary Gibson Scott announced today that a road improvement project will take place on the north park road from the Lizard Creek Campground in Grand Teton National Park to the Snake River Bridge at Flagg Ranch in the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. Project work will begin on or about Monday, July 28, and continue through the summer/fall season. This project is necessary to improve travel conditions and ensure safety for the millions of motorists who use this road each year.

The initial phase of the highway improvement project involves replacing the many culverts that assist with drainage under the roadway. Work will take place from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday through Friday of each week. While flaggers will direct vehicles through the work zone and keep traffic moving, motorists should expect delays of up to 30 minutes.

In addition to the road project, repairs will begin on the Snake River Bridge at Flagg Ranch as early as Friday, August 1. Work on the bridge will take place from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday through Friday, and delays of up to 30 minutes are possible. Flaggers will direct traffic; however, travel will be reduced to one lane. The bridge will reopen to two-way traffic for the winter season.

The north park road improvement project will continue during the 2009 summer season. Weather permitting, project work will begin in April and continue through mid-November. During that time, the road will be resurfaced and widened. During this second phase of the project, traffic will again be reduced to one lane.The north park road project is a continuation of work that began in 2003 with reconstruction of the highway from the South Gate of Yellowstone National Park to Flagg Ranch and a stretch of road from Lizard Creek Campground to Leeks Marina.

Superintendent Gibson Scott reminds everyone that roadwork is necessary for the park to maintain safe and high quality roads for the large volume of traffic passing over them each year.

Local residents and park visitors are advised to use caution, drive slowly and watch out for workers and equipment when traveling through the project zones. Every effort will be made to minimize the inconvenience of these projects to those people traveling through the work areas.

Roadwork schedules may change or be delayed due to weather conditions, equipment failure, or other unforeseen circumstances. For road updates, visit the park’s Web site at www.nps.gov/grte or call the park’s recorded road information line at 307.739.3614.