YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — Yellowstone National Park (YNP) has shared photo updates of the Yellowstone River Bridge replacement project today, Oct. 24.
According to YNP, the replacement project includes replacing the current bridge that was built in 1961, which is considered structurally deficient due to not being up to current safety standards.
A new 1,285-foot-long, 175-foot-high steel girder bridge upstream will replace the existing 604-foot-long bridge, in order to preserve year-round access to and from the Northeast Entrance and communities of Silver Gate and Cooke City, Montana.
YNP confirms new turnouts, paved parking areas and a dedicated route across the new bridge will increase access to trails, fishing and viewpoints. The Yellowstone River Picnic Area will be enlarged to accommodate increased visitor use.
In response to a Facebook question about a project completion date, YNP confirms that it is projecting to “move traffic on the new bridge by fall of 2025, and another year to remove the old bridge and rehabilitate the area.”
Construction on the Yellowstone River Bridge began in 2023. The Lewis River Bridge is also under construction.
