YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. —In Yellowstone National Park, efforts to repair approximately five damaged sections of the Northeast Entrance Road between Slough Creek and Barronette Meadows have been underway since late June.
According to park officials, this project is expected to be passable for regular traffic by Oct. 15. Once completed, these temporary repairs will allow for regular vehicle access, including visitors, to travel between Tower Junction and Cooke City/Silver Gate.
This project is being completed with support from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and funded largely by FHWA Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads (ERFO). Oftedal Contractors Inc. is the primary construction company under contract to complete this project.
Additional long-term reconstruction improvements will continue beyond the Oct. 15 date.
The National Park Service is working closely with the FHWA to prepare and analyze a range of long-term alternatives for permanent reconstruction of the Northeast Entrance Road. It is estimated that these will be multi-year improvements.
Similar to the North Entrance Road, the criteria for selection will focus largely on alternatives that are least environmentally impacting, least visually impacting, most resilient to future natural disasters, most expeditious and cost effective, and take advantage of unimpacted existing road infrastructure if possible. Timelines for long-term reconstruction will be predicated on which alternative is selected. The public will have ample opportunity to comment as this planning process proceeds, says the park.
