Road Construction Projects to Cause Traffic Delays during 2009 Travel Season

April 28, 2009
09-22
Road construction projects will be underway throughout Grand Teton National Park for much of the 2009 travel season, resulting in minor traffic delays at several locations. One road construction project will require a few overnight travel closures. For current and specific information, travelers are advised to call the park’s road information line at 307.739.3614. The park’s newspaper, Teewinot, includes a road construction map for further reference and can be found online at www.nps.gov/grte, or picked up at any park entrance station or visitor center.

The Snake River Bridge near Flagg Ranch Resort—2.5 miles south of Yellowstone National Park’s south gate—is undergoing major reconstruction. This effort will require a limited number of overnight road closures during May and June. Closures will occur between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. for one night in mid May and again for three nights in early June; further details on overnight closures will be announced at a later date.

Reconstruction of the North Park Road in Grand Teton, between Lizard Creek campground and Flagg Ranch Resort, began in 2008. During the summer/fall travel season, significant road construction activities will again be underway to widen and repave this road and complete the reconstruction work on the Snake River Bridge. To facilitate the extensive work required for the North Park Road project, nighttime closures may be possible between Lizard Creek and Flagg Ranch, on weekdays only, from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. between now and June 15. In addition to the overnight road closures, motorists are advised to expect daytime delays of up to 30 minutes for travel between Lizard Creek campground and Flagg Ranch Resort through the end of November.

Important note: Road closures are not anticipated to occur anywhere in the park after June 15th. Work on the North Park Road will cease on weekends during July and August—and during the Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day holiday weekends—to allow for unfettered traffic flow during peak season travel times.

In addition to the North Park Road project, several other road construction projects in Grand Teton are planned for the upcoming summer months, and each will involve 15-minute delays in traffic. These projects include: Routine striping projects on all park roads during the month of May; an asphalt overlay on the road from Colter Bay to Leeks Marina scheduled for early July; an asphalt overlay on the road to the Teton Science Schools’ Kelly Campus during mid July; a chip seal project one mile north of Moose Junction to Cunningham Cabin along Hwy 89/191 scheduled for late August to Labor Day weekend; and a chip seal project from the park’s south boundary to one mile north of Moose Junction on Hwy 89/191 scheduled for after Labor Day through mid September. Road work on the Signal Mountain Summit Road is also scheduled, and this project will result in a closure to weekday traffic during much of June (weekend traffic will be allowed).

Efforts will be made to minimize any inconvenience to drivers using park roads, however, traffic will be held up for short periods of time as road improvement work is underway. These road construction projects are necessary to improve safety, as well as provide routine maintenance, for the many vehicles that use park roads throughout the year.

Roadwork schedules may change or be delayed due to weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances.