News Release

Zion National Park Initiates Public Scoping for the South Entrance Fee Station Reconfiguration Environmental Assessment

Date: February 8, 2018
Contact: John Marciano, [phone]
Contact: Shauna Ertolacci, [phone]

SPRINGDALE, UT - The National Park Service (NPS) is proposing to redesign the Zion National Park (ZION) South Entrance Fee Station and adjacent roadway to decrease park entry wait times for vehicular traffic, reduce localized vehicle congestion, improve employee safety, develop a renewable energy source to sustain park operations, and replace faulty culverts to improve roadway conditions during weather events.

The proposed project would reconstruct the South Entrance Fee Station area by restructuring the immediate roadway to provide additional lanes of traffic, both entering and exiting the park. Additional fee booths, traffic islands, and an employee parking area would be incorporated into the design to accommodate the number of employees required at the entrance station to facilitate park entry and would also create areas protected from moving traffic for employees. An increase in the number and size of the fee booths would also help eliminate instances where employees enter the roadway, or rove, to expedite park entry demands. A shade structure covering the fee booths and vehicle entry lanes would also provide a platform to install solar panels which would fully sustain the energy needs of the facility. Finally, two culverts, one north and one south of the Fee Station, would be rebuilt to adequately capture and channel storm water runoff thereby reducing the overall risk of roadway hazards in the area.

The NPS encourages your participation throughout the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. At this time, ZION invites you to help identify concerns and express any ideas or comments regarding the proposed project. To obtain additional information or submit a comment, please visit the NPS Planning, Environment & Public Comment (PEPC) website at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/zion. Comments may also be submitted by writing to: Superintendent, Zion National Park ATTN: South Entrance Fee Station Reconfiguration EA, 1 Zion Park Blvd., State Route 9, Springdale, UT 84767. Please submit your comments on or before March 1, 2018.