MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – Yellowstone National Park recently awarded an approximately $118 million construction contract to replace the structurally deficient Yellowstone River Bridge on the Northeast Entrance Road near Tower Junction. Funded by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), this project will preserve year-round public access to and from the park’s Northeast Entrance and communities of Silver Gate and Cooke City, Montana.
A new 1,285-foot-long, 175-foot-high steel girder bridge upstream will replace the existing 604-foot-long bridge, built in 1963. Additionally, GAOA funding will help construct approximately one mile of new road to line up with the replacement bridge location. New pullouts, paved parking areas, and dedicated pedestrian route across the new bridge will increase access to trails, fishing, and viewpoints. Construction will also enlarge the popular Yellowstone River Picnic Area to accommodate increased visitor use. Once complete, the existing road segment and bridge will be removed, and the area rehabilitated.
The project is scheduled to begin summer 2023 and will be completed fall 2026. Automobile traffic will use the existing bridge while the new bridge is under construction. Occasional traffic delays will be short. Once complete, the existing road segment and bridge will be removed, and the area will be rehabilitated. Wetlands bisected by the existing road segment will be re-established and the Lost Creek drainage currently occupied by the road segment will be restored to its original alignment.
