Deadline
March 15
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
MAMMOTH HOT
SPRINGS, Wyo. – The National Park Service seeks public comment on a proposal to
replace the Yellowstone River Bridge in Yellowstone National
Park. The bridge is located on the Northeast Entrance Road near Tower
Junction.
This project will maintain safe visitor access from the park’s Northeast Entrance near Cooke City, Montana, since the bridge is part of the only road corridor in the park that is open year-round and plowed in the winter. Built in the early 1960s, the bridge’s concrete deck, sidewalks and parapets have deteriorated.
The Environmental Assessment analyzes impacts to geothermal resources, visitor experience, vegetation and wetlands in the project area. The EA evaluates three alternatives.
In
Alternative A, if NPS took no action, the bridge would remain in its existing
condition.
Alternative
B, the agency’s preferred alternative, would replace the bridge with a larger
1,200-foot-long bridge about 500 feet south of its existing location. One mile
of new road would be constructed to line up with the new bridge location.
Following construction, the existing bridge and approximately 1.5 miles of
existing road would be removed, and the area restored.
Alternative
C would include construction of a new bridge directly adjacent to and slightly
north of the existing bridge. Following construction, the existing one would be
removed. The new bridge would be about 600 feet long and the road that
approaches the bridge would be moved north.
Alternative
B and C would reconstruct and widen the 24-foot-wide bridge to a 30-foot paved
width. In addition, 1-1.5 miles of road from Tower Junction to
the Yellowstone River Picnic Area would also be widened to a
30-foot width. Both alternatives would reconfigure and expand the Yellowstone River Picnic
Area and improve turnouts for vehicles along the road.
Construction
would begin in the summer or fall of 2022 and continue through 2024, depending
on funding availability.
If the
proposed project is implemented, construction delays would vary by alternative.
This could range from no delays up to 30-minute delays with occasional two to
four-hour delays. There may be temporary closures, including regular nighttime
closures, depending on the alternative. The public would be notified of
closures in advance if they occur.
Comments
must be received by March 15 and may be submitted online, by hand-delivery or
by mail. Comments will not be accepted by fax, email or by any other
means.
Visit parkplanning.nps.gov/yrb to submit comments online. Hand-deliver comments during business hours to Albright Visitor Center, Attention: Yellowstone River Bridge Replacement, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190. Mail comments to Compliance Office, Attention: Yellowstone River Bridge Replacement, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190.
