Beginning September 11, 2016 at 10 p.m. the Grand Loop Road between Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris Junction will be closed to all traffic until 7 a.m. on October 7. The closure will take place between Willow Flats, just south of Indian Creek Campground, and Roaring Mountain, five miles north of Norris Junction. During this time, visitors wishing to travel south through the park from the Mammoth Hot Springs area will need to take a detour. The detour includes driving through Tower Junction and over Dunraven Pass for access to Canyon Village and the southern portion of the Grand Loop Road.

Road construction is perennial in Yellowstone National Park. In general, park roads have either been recently repaired or reconstructed, or are scheduled for repair or reconstruction. Approximately 80 percent of main park roads (about 185 mi or 295 km) are in a structurally deficient state, with poor quality road bases failing under the weight, speed, and volume of modern traffic for which they were not designed. Harsh winter weather and short construction seasons provide additional challenges.

These needs are now being addressed under a 20-year, $300 million Federal Lands Highway Program for Yellowstone National Park. This road construction is the first year of a three year project to reconstruct the Mammoth Hot Springs to Norris Junction road segment.

For information about road construction and live updates to conditions, please visit http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/conditions.htm.