Chamber Says Advocacy Paid Off for YNP Road Project

The process of advocacy has paid off in the eyes of the Cody Chamber of Commerce.
According to Chamber Director Tina Hoebelheinrich, members of the Chamber and the County Commissioners were invited to sit down last week with Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Dan Wenk to discuss the upcoming road construction project between Fishing Bridge and Indian Pond. While the complete closure of the East Entrance road on October 15th of 2018 for the project is a concern for many, Hoebelheinrich says that the initial proposal for the project called for shutting down the East Entrance road on September 15th. She says that would have been a huge economic blow to Cody.

However, at last week’s meeting, Hoebelheinrich said the message they received was that their concerns had been heard. She said in talks with Park officials, it was made clear that a September 15th closure would have been detrimental to the Park as well.

Hoebelheinrich pointed out that the repairs to Fishing Bridge are necessary, and says she believes that the October 15th closure is an acceptable compromise, when the alternative is the complete closure of the road if the bridge were to fail. She adds that the Chamber would like to be a channel for communication between the public and the Park Service in this manner, and encourages anyone with questions or concerns to contact the Chamber.