<HTML><HEAD> <META charset=US-ASCII http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1264" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff"> <DIV>You may already know about this schedule, but following is an article from WEst Yellowstone News about the plans for the road between Madison and Norris...</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Scott Bryan</DIV> <DIV>----------</DIV> <DIV> Park Road Gets Extreme MakeoverBy Barbara Shesky Maintaining roadways is a never-ending process. Altering the course of a roadbed is a massive undertaking, especially in a National Park. The road between Madison and Norris, built nearly 80 years ago by the Civilian Conservation Corps, runs extremely close to the Gibbon River. The idea of building roads next to waterways has been rethought over the years. While it offers travelers a scenic and up close view, the problems far outweigh the benefits in this instance. In 1999 Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Michael Finley announced that the Madison to Norris road would be reconstructed. The first phase of that project is now completed. In a recent group interview, Dan Rhodes, the Architectural Landscaper assigned to the project, offered a history lesson on why the project was needed. According to Rhodes, during the original construction more than 30 warm and cold thermal cones, other features, and wetlands on the north side of the roadway were blocked and the course of the river altered in certain spots. This alteration created "pinch points in the riverbed," In addition, more than 30 species of rare plants were impacted by the construction. After the '88 fires, the deforested landscape surrounding the thermal cones created another problem, mudslides into the roadway - with debris collecting in the pinch points of the river, thus creating a driving hazard when the seasonal winter runoff and spring rains occurred. This problem, coupled with an already deteriorating and weak roadbed, led to a massive road reconstruction project that has to date cost $18.5 million dollars. Engineering plans for this type of project are developed in phases. Phase One included the repaving of portions of the roadway that were salvageable, the creation of retaining walls, the grading of two new picnic areas, and the reconstruction of another. The biggest part of the first phase was building a new roadbed, upriver from the falls, that lifts the road up and away from the Gibbon River along the portion that is most susceptible to mudslides. To date the project has gone as scheduled. This will, "allow wetlands to flow back into the river," says Park spokeswoman Cheryl Matthews, by diverting a portion of the road to follow a power-line and old service road that already exist at a higher elevation. Planning and budgeting for the project's second stage are nearly completed. Last Tuesday a Geo-technical road crew was wrapping up the gathering of information from drill borings to see how deep the footer for the new bridge abutment needs to be, so that the budget can be finalized. The Park expects funds to become available in early summer 2005. They will finance the building of a bridge over the Gibbon River to join the newly diverted roadway and the existing roadbeds. The new portion of the road diverts drivers up in elevation away from the river where the road travels particularly close to the water. The new bridge abutment will sit between two huge boulders that exist just above where the drop off to the riverbed begins. This new road will offer visitors to the park excellent views of the Caldera rim. Two new picnic areas, Caldera Rim and Iron Springs (both with restrooms), have been graded. Iron Springs has a lovely view of Secret Valley to the east. Also included in the second phase is the paving of the new roadway, revegetating the sides of the road affected by the construction, the paving and development and revegetation of three picnic areas, and a complete revamping of the Gibbon Falls lookout point. Concerns have developed over the years because the roadway and parking area near the falls are unsafe. The road is curvy and narrow, the parking is cramped, and tourists have little choice but to walk on the road at some points. With the increasing number of large RVs the problem has grown. The new lookout area will divert a short portion of the road away from the river. It will also provide a new parking area on the north side of the road, and separate parking from the overlook. The retaining wall at the lookout is a designated historic landmark and will not be altered, but an extension will be added along the rim of the falls for viewer safety at an extended lookout point. The final portion of phase two will involve the abandoned portion of the road. The asphalt will be dug out and soils and vegetation will be restored. Eventually the river will right itself and follow its natural course. Once again, the thermal features will be allowed to make their way to the river and the rare plants will be given a chance to gain a foothold. Al Nash, a Park Information Specialist, summarized by saying, "Tie it up with a bow and you have a better visitor experience. A safer visitor experience - Changes that will allow us to restore some disturbed areas- A lot of wins here." Phase Two's scheduled completion date is 2008, and the ballpark estimate of cost is $10 to $20 million.</DIV></BODY></HTML>