Temporary Closures of North Rim's Scenic Drive Planned to Facilitate Road Improvements

Date: July 21, 2010
Contact: Shannan Marcak, 928-638-7958

Grand Canyon, Ariz. – On June 21, 2010, pavement preservation work began on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.  In order to facilitate the safe and timely completion of this work, it will be necessary to temporarily close the North Rim Scenic Drive on two separate occasions.

The North Rim Pavement Preservation Project is being completed by Intermountain Slurry Seal, Inc. of Salt Lake City, Utah and consists of patching, crack sealing, micro-surfacing, chip sealing, fog sealing and striping. Chip sealing and fog sealing require the use of large pieces of equipment approximately ten feet in width. Due to the narrow width of the Cape Royal and Point Imperial access roads (the Scenic Drive), concerns arose that public and contractor safety could not be adequately protected if traffic were allowed on the Scenic Drive during these activities. 

As a result, the National Park Service will be closing all or most of the North Rim Scenic Drive twice during the month of August. Cape Royal Road (the portion of the Scenic Drive beyond its junction with the Point Imperial Road) will be closed Monday – Wednesday, August 9 – 11 and again Monday – Wednesday, August 16 – 18. The entire Scenic Drive from its junction with Highway 67 (including Cape Royal Road) will be closed on Wednesday, August 11 and again on Wednesday, August 18. These temporary closures will not include primary roadways (Highway 67) or businesses and services on the North Rim.

While these planned closure dates are “firm”, they are also weather dependent. North Rim visitors, community members and park partners are encouraged to visit the park’s construction page regularly at www.nps.gov/grca/parkmgmt/const.htm for the latest updates and changes.

The National Park Service, Federal Highway Administration, contractors and subcontractors are all committed to minimizing impacts to visitors and community members. We apologize for any inconvenience this project may have on our visitors and community members. 

-NPS-