Public input sought on proposal to improve Yellowstone National Park’s Northeast Entrance Road

The National Park Service, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, seeks public comment on a proposal to significantly improve 27 miles of the Northeast Entrance Road between Tower Junction and Yellowstone National Park’s Northeast Entrance. The road, damaged during the 2022 flood, is open to visitor vehicle traffic year-round and provides winter access to the communities of Cooke City/Silver Gate in Montana and to Lamar Valley, a main attraction in the park for world class wildlife viewing opportunities. The project aims to improve visitor safety, use and experience, while enhancing the road’s resilience to future floods and other natural disasters.

Need for Project

1) Aging Infrastructure: No substantial improvements have occurred since the 1980’s. The existing pavement has exceeded its 20-year design life and was not designed for the current amount of traffic. The age of the road, coupled with increased visitation, has taken a toll on bridges, retaining walls and culverts. The road is also susceptible to frost heaves in areas where it intersects with seasonally wet areas.

2) Outdated Standards Impact Safety: The road has a width of 20-22 feet while the modern park standard is 30 feet. The increased width and additional road shoulders, parking areas and turnouts would help minimize vehicle conflicts and improve traffic flow.

3) Resource and Resiliency Concerns: The lack of shoulders and turnouts leads to vegetation degradation and the spread of invasive weeds when drivers pull off the road. The road will be realigned in areas where it either washed out during the 2022 flood or may be vulnerable to similar future events.

4) Improved Visitor Experience: Due to the popularity and year-round use on the road, parking configurations in some turnouts need to be expanded or redesigned to add capacity and improve vehicle flow. More wildlife viewing turnouts would also be added.

Environmental Assessment Alternatives

Yellowstone invites the public to learn about and provide input on the Northeast Entrance Road project. Public input will help the park develop an environmental assessment (EA) that includes the following two alternatives:

1) No Action Alternative: No substantial infrastructure improvements would occur; however routine and periodic maintenance would continue as issues arise. Deterioration and maintenance needs of the road corridor would likely increase.

2) Action Alternative: The Northeast Entrance Road and associated infrastructure would be upgraded. Upgrades could include widening the road from 20-22 feet to 30 feet; repairing or replacing bridges and culverts; improving parking areas and turnouts; and providing additional turnouts where needed.

Public Comment

The public can submit comments about the proposed project until Dec. 3, 2024, to https://parkplanning.nps.gov/YELL_NER or by mail. Mail comments to: Yellowstone National Park, Attn: Northeast Entrance Road Project, PO Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190-0168.