Paradise road update

As of Thursday of this week, here's the official word on the road to Paradise:

"1/15/09 Update -- Open weekends and holidays only until road damage can be repaired in late spring or early summer. Expect traffic delays at Glacier Hill. Carry tire chains."

Now, for those of you who have been following this story, here's the back-story. Park staff and representatives from the Federal Highways program visited the damaged road section Monday and determined that the remaining lane is safe for use. That's good news! On Wednesday a group of park staff met to develop a plan for providing safe access to Paradise through the rest of the winter. The group decided on the following:

By this weekend we will have Jersey barriers in place at the damaged area. Our rangers will station flaggers well above and below to stop vehicles and control traffic flow through the area whenever the road is open.

We hope to have the snow play area back open at Paradise by this weekend. However, overnight camping groups and individuals will have to adjust their plans to match our road open/close days. The road to Paradise will be open weekends and holidays only. During the week people will only be able to go as far as Longmire.

Road repairs can't begin until there is no longer a likelihood of snow falling or ice on the road--probably in May. The work will take a few weeks to complete, and we should be able to continue to allow controlled public access during the construction.