Yellowstone Nationwide Park has made nice strides in repairing the catastrophic harm to it’s infrastructure brought on by a harmful flood occasion again in June, 2022 however there may be nonetheless numerous work to be completed and the Nationwide Park Service is in search of the general public’s enter on a proposal to enhance the park’s Northeast Entrance Highway.
The proposal plans to replace a 27 mile stretch of street between Tower Junction and Yellowstone Nationwide Park’s Northeast Entrance the place no vital enhancements have been made for the reason that Nineteen Eighties.
Enhancements embody widening the street, addressing growing old bridges, retaining partitions and culverts and including shoulders and pullouts for wildlife viewing and higher site visitors movement. The newly improved street can be realigned in areas the place was washed out throughout the 2022 flood or could also be susceptible to wreck in related occasions in future years.
The interval for public feedback ends on December third, 2024. A last resolution for a plan of action is anticipated by October 2025. Learn the complete press launch under:
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE PRESS RELEASE:
The Nationwide Park Service, in cooperation with the Federal Freeway Administration, seeks public touch upon a proposal to considerably enhance 27 miles of the Northeast Entrance Highway between Tower Junction and Yellowstone Nationwide Park’s Northeast Entrance.
The street, broken throughout the 2022 flood, is open to customer car site visitors year-round and offers winter entry to the communities of Cooke Metropolis/Silver Gate in Montana and to Lamar Valley, a important attraction within the park for world class wildlife viewing alternatives. The undertaking goals to enhance customer security, use and expertise, whereas enhancing the street’s resilience to future floods and different pure disasters.
Want for Mission
- Getting old Infrastructure: No substantial enhancements have occurred for the reason that 1980’s. The present pavement has exceeded its 20-year design life and was not designed for the present quantity of site visitors. The age of the street, coupled with elevated visitation, has taken a toll on bridges, retaining partitions and culverts. The street can be vulnerable to frost heaves in areas the place it intersects with seasonally moist areas.
- Outdated Requirements Influence Security: The street has a width of 20-22 ft whereas the fashionable park commonplace is 30 ft. The elevated width and extra street shoulders, parking areas and turnouts would assist reduce car conflicts and enhance site visitors movement.
- Useful resource and Resiliency Issues: The shortage of shoulders and turnouts results in vegetation degradation and the unfold of invasive weeds when drivers pull off the street. The street can be realigned in areas the place it both washed out throughout the 2022 flood or could also be susceptible to related future occasions.
- Improved Customer Expertise: Because of the recognition and year-round use on the street, parking configurations in some turnouts have to be expanded or redesigned so as to add capability and enhance car movement. Extra wildlife viewing turnouts would even be added.
Environmental Evaluation Options
Yellowstone invitations the general public to study and supply enter on the Northeast Entrance Highway undertaking. Public enter will assist the park develop an environmental evaluation (EA) that features the next two options:
- No Motion Different: No substantial infrastructure enhancements would happen; nevertheless routine and periodic upkeep would proceed as points come up. Deterioration and upkeep wants of the street hall would doubtless improve.
- Motion Different: The Northeast Entrance Highway and related infrastructure can be upgraded. Upgrades may embody widening the street from 20-22 ft to 30 ft; repairing or changing bridges and culverts; enhancing parking areas and turnouts; and offering extra turnouts the place wanted.
Public Remark
The general public can submit feedback concerning the proposed undertaking till Dec. 3, 2024, to https://parkplanning.nps.gov/YELL_NER or by mail. Mail feedback to: Yellowstone Nationwide Park, Attn: Northeast Entrance Highway Mission, PO Field 168,
Yellowstone Nationwide Park, WY 82190-0168.
Public Remark Concerns
- Feedback is not going to be accepted by fax, e mail, or by every other means.
- Bulk feedback in any format submitted on behalf of others is not going to be accepted.
- Earlier than together with your handle, telephone quantity, e mail, or different private info, remember that your total remark – together with your personally identifiable info – could also be made public at any time. Chances are you’ll ask us to withhold your personally identifiable info from public evaluation, however we can not assure that we will achieve this.
On the conclusion of the 30-day public remark interval, the NPS will analyze and contemplate all feedback acquired. A draft EA will doubtless be launched for public evaluation June 2025. A last resolution is anticipated Oct. 2025.
