While Yellowstone National Park officials have confirmed the Northeast Entrance Road (U.S. Highway 212) will open to traffic on October 15, the North Entrance will remain closed at least through Nov. 1 while crews work on safety issues.

In conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration, park officials have decided to extend temporary construction closures up to two weeks to ensure over 5,000 feet of guardrail are properly installed. Additionally, Yellowstone asked the administration to build a new one fourth mile approach road into Mammoth Hot Springs after the project was underway to avoid a 12-15% steep grade on the original road. 

The new approach has required additional engineering and design to provide a safe road base to handle the 2,000-3,000 vehicles per day that enter the park from the North Entrance, the park said in a Tuesday press release.

“We have set incredibly aggressive time frames for these repairs and our contractors have worked at lightning speed to get this road safely reopened,” said Superintendent Cam Sholly. “It’s essential that we do not cut corners and we ensure the road meets required safety standards prior to opening. It’s also essential that we finish the job correctly, so we avoid any problems going into next year.”

The Old Gardiner Road was determined to be the best and only option to quickly reconnect Mammoth Hot Springs to Gardiner, Montana, after devastating floods in mid-June. Originally established as an 1880’s stagecoach route, the single-lane dirt road has been expanded to two lanes over its entire 4-mile length. 

The new approach road coming into Mammoth Hot Springs is under construction. Paving was expected to begin earlier this week and nearly 1 mile of guardrail will be installed between Oct. 10 and Oct. 20. 

If the Old Gardiner Road is completed prior to Nov. 1, the park will open it to public travel sooner.

Park officials are hoping winter weather will cooperate, allowing crews to finish the temporary repairs prior to snow flying. However, Yellowstone is coordinating with Montana and Wyoming on the 7-mile section of road between Cooke City and the Pilot Creek Trailhead (known locally as the plug) on whether it will need to be plowed until the Old Gardiner Road is completed. This will ensure continued access to the gateway communities of Cooke City and Silver Gate, Montana.  

For many years there’s been a contentious debate about plowing the plug. It’s one of the snowiest mountain passes in Montana and currently the main groomed trail for winter recreational access to nearby backcountry wilderness areas, remaining unplowed from October to May each year.

— Mark Davis