Zion National Park will be using a digital three-dimensional scanner to map the inside of the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway Tunnel to assess its condition. Visitors through the tunnel should expect 20-30 minute delays due to tunnel closures on weekdays between March 12 and 27, 2015.
The tentative project schedule is as follows:
* March 12, 2015- The tunnel will be closed 3 times for approximately 20 minutes each.
* March 16-20, 2015- From 6:00-8:00 a.m., the tunnel will be closed for up to 25 minutes at a time.
* March 23-27, 2015- The scanning may be finished by this time, but if not, it will continue on the same 6:00-8:00 a.m. schedule as the week before.
The park's cultural resources staff leased the 3-D laser scanners in order to create a digital three-dimensional model of the tunnel. Using this 3-D model, the park will be able to document the tunnel construction materials and methods in a way that would be impossible through any other means without closing the tunnel for extensive periods of time. The digital 3-D model of the tunnel may then be used to assess the condition of the tunnel, assess any damage, obtain measurements of tunnel elements, and assist in park planning.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
