A plan to reconstruct Isa Lake Bridge located at Craig Pass on the Continental Divide has been approved. Yellowstone National Park spokesman Dan Hottle says reconstruction of the bridge, which spans a section of the road connecting West Thumb and Old Faithful, is needed to bring the structure up to current design standards, improve safety, increase vehicle load capacity and preserve the historic integrity of the bridge.  Improvements will also be made to adjacent parking and pullout areas to help maintain visitor access on this section of the Grand Loop Road into the future.

 The highlights of the approved reconstruction plan include:
• During bridge reconstruction, the road will remain open via a temporary bridge spanning Isa Lake to the north of the existing bridge.
• The existing parking area and pullouts will be repaired. One handicapped accessible parking space will be created.
• New curb logs will be installed.
• The existing kiosk structure will be rehabilitated.
Hottle says the project will proceed when funding becomes available through the Federal Lands Highway Program and will take approximately two years to complete.

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