MOOSE, WY- Travelers on U.S. Highway 89 in Grand Teton National Park should plan for 30-minute delays as the park’s pavement preservation plan is underway. Work is currently taking place between the Jackson Hole Airport and Antelope Flats Road, just north of Moose Junction. When this section is completed, road construction crews will relocate to the South Gate of Yellowstone National Park and begin working south towards Moran. The change in work location is necessary in order to accommodate the shorter warm weather season in the northern reaches of the park. The chip seal process requires warmer temperatures and minimum moisture for application.
Motorists should plan ahead for delays and reduce speeds in the work zone while the road is limited to one lane of travel. Additionally, travelers are advised to drive slowly and maintain the recommended speed limit on chip seal pavement to reduce the risk of loose gravel damaging cars or windshields.
Road work will take place Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. The work is weather and temperature dependent.
Chip sealing is a cost-effective way to provide an improved road surface and preserve the underlying pavement. When proactive preventative maintenance activities are completed on park roads, more serious and costly damage to the pavement structure will be averted.
The work includes patching holes and sealing cracks in the pavement surface initially. A chip seal or micro seal will then be applied to the road surface, followed by a fog seal to reduce airborne gravel. Striping will be the final action.
Motorists will continue to see construction activity along Gros Ventre Road as part of the pavement preservation process. Delays of up to 15 minutes should be anticipated. Fog sealing on Gros Ventre Road is anticipated to be completed by the end of next week.
Repaving work continues on the main parking lots in Colter Bay. Work is expected to be completed in late July. Visitors should plan for limited parking at Colter Bay. Work has been completed on the Colter Bay access road. Additionally, work on the Leeks Marina access road is anticipated to begin soon. Work will take place either at night between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. or after August 15. Work at Leeks Marina will not be performed concurrently with work taking place at Colter Bay.
Updated road status and conditions are available by calling the park road information line at 307-739-3682 and on the park’s website, Facebook and Twitter.
In addition to the pavement preservation work, the final phase of emergency repairs related to the June 2017 washout of the Gros Ventre Road will occur late this summer. Work is expected to begin in late July.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
