Highway Closure North of Colter Bay October 16 & 23: Expect Two-Hour Delays

News and Adventure from Glacier National Park

Grand Teton National Park, in coordination with Federal Highway Administration, is conducting maintenance work at several bridge locations along U.S. Highway 89/287, in the northern area of the park. The work will involve a temporary highway closure at Arizona Creek, approximately five miles north of Colter Bay.

Two 2-hour closures of the highway are planned for Tuesday, October 16 and Tuesday, October 23. Closures will occur mid-morning and mid-afternoon each day, with time between the closures for one-way traffic access through the area.

Those wishing to access or depart Yellowstone National Park on these dates through Yellowstone’s South Gate may want to consider using the Yellowstone West Entrance to avoid the delay.

One-lane traffic with up to 15-minute delays will begin Tuesday, October 2 as construction crews prepare for the installation of the new wing walls at Arizona Creek. The delays may be daytime delays only, but it is possible that the delays may occur during the night as well. Please be prepared for 15-minutes delays through October 23.

The work will address deferred maintenance in the park. The scope of work at Arizona Creek is to replace four failing concrete wing walls that channel water into the box culverts and protect the adjacent bank. Pre-cast wing walls will be installed by using a crane to move them and set them in place. One pre-cast wing wall weighs approximately 46,000 pounds and therefore requires a large crane to set the walls in place. The crane will take up both lanes of traffic once set up.

Significant work on Pacific Creek and Spread Creek bridges along U.S. Highway 89/191/287 is also taking place with minimal traffic delays. The work as Pacific Creek is completed and work continues at Spread Creek. Please expect sporadic daytime 15-minute delays at Spread Creek for the next two weeks. Spread Creek is located approximately four miles south of the Moran Junction.

During this time of the year, visitation to the area winds down, services and facilities are closed, and there is much less traffic, making it the opportune time for this work to take place before winter weather arrives.

The construction schedule is subject to change due to weather conditions and other factors. Updates will be communicated via roadside signs near Colter Bay and Flagg Ranch, park road information line (307.739.3682), and park social media (@GrandTetonNPS on Facebook and Twitter).

Jeff
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