YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. – On Tuesday, June 18, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced a $22 million grant to the National Park Service to modernize and reconstruct a 0.7-mile segment of the Norris to Golden Gate roadway in Yellowstone National Park (YNP).
According to YNP, the road is a critical transportation link to Yellowstone’s major destinations. The project will improve safety and pedestrian access, alleviate rockfall hazards, upgrade vehicle pullouts and parking areas and add new pedestrian facilities to separate people from traffic.
“Good transportation elements are key to experiencing the great outdoors at Yellowstone National Park,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in the announcement. “The grant for the National Park Service will make travel there more convenient for tourists, residents, workers and local businesses.”
Yellowstone says that transportation improvements to the Norris to Golden Gate roadway will contribute to increased tourism and a higher-quality visitor experience, promoting sustained economic competitiveness for the entire rural region.
According to the National Park Service (NPS), tourism is the critical driver of the economy in and around Yellowstone National Park. In 2021, over 4.9 million people visited the park and spent over $630 million in communities near the park. The NPS estimates that yearly tourism spending supports approximately 8,740 jobs in the surrounding areas and has a cumulative benefit to the local economy of over $834 million.
The YNP project is one of five nationwide receiving a total of $88.2 million in Fiscal Year 2023 funding under FHWA’s Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Transportation Projects Program.
