Millions in road, bridge repairs planned for Yellowstone National Park this summer

The National Park service is beginning work on $155 million worth of road and bridge upgrades in Yellowstone this summer.

The work is anticipated to cause major traffic delays.

This summer, the park is upgrading one of the most heavily trafficked roads in Yellowstone: Twenty-two miles of the Grand Loop Road that connects the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake to Old Faithful will be repaved.

Park officials say visitors should anticipate ongoing 30-minute delays on the stretch of road and overnight closures beginning in September.

The park also plans to replace two bridges: the Lewis River Bridge near the South Entrance, expected to be completed next fall, and the Yellowstone River Bridge near the Northeast Entrance, which should be complete in 2025.

Yellowstone received funding for the improvements from the Great American Outdoors Act. The park has a nearly $600 million backlog of deferred maintenance, over half attributed to roads.

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