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New Visitor Center parking expected to open in time for Thanksgiving
Phase I of Visitor Transportation Plan nears completion

<br>Photo courtesy National Park Service<br>
Construction on Phase I of the South Rim's transportation plan is nearing completion, according to park officials.

<br>Photo courtesy National Park Service<br> Construction on Phase I of the South Rim's transportation plan is nearing completion, according to park officials.

GRAND CANYON, Ariz. - Construction on Phase I of the improvements called for in Grand Canyon National Park's South Rim Visitor Transportation Plan (Transportation Plan) is nearing completion. The new parking areas at Grand Canyon Visitor Center (Visitor Center) are expected to open in time for Thanksgiving.

In late April 2009, construction began on Phase I of the improvements outlined in the Transportation Plan. The Phase I improvements primarily address concerns with traffic congestion and significant parking shortages in and around Mather Point and the Visitor Center. These improvements include: realignment of the South Entrance Road to loop around the Visitor Center area to the south and west; three new visitor parking lots, which will provide parking for up to 600 vehicles, including RVs; and a new parking lot which will provide parking for 40 commercial tour vehicles.

On Sept. 11, the transition to the new South Entrance Road alignment was completed; and the new commercial tour vehicle parking lot at the Visitor Center was opened. Currently, paving, striping and signing of the three new visitor parking lots is under way. The National Park Service (NPS) expects to open these 600 new parking spaces in time for Thanksgiving. Revegetation, irrigation, fencing and miscellaneous clean-up work will continue into early December and will conclude the Phase I improvements.

Planning for Phase II of the improvements is already well underway; and the solicitation for the project was advertised on Nov. 10. Phase II construction is expected to include: removing the old parking area and adjacent roadbed at Mather Point, which will complete the development of a vehicle-free visitor experience there; creating an informal amphitheater on the rim near Mather Point; creating mobility impaired access to Mather Point; constructing additional restroom facilities at the Visitor Center's commercial tour parking lot; completing the shuttle transit hub at the Visitor Center; and constructing a shuttle stop, pedestrian improvements and picnic areas at Mather Point.

Completion of the Phase II improvements is currently planned for October of 2010. Once the Phase II improvements are completed, the NPS will use an adaptive management program to closely monitor and evaluate vehicular traffic, parking use and shuttle bus ridership to determine if and when any future improvements as outlined in the park's Transportation Plan might be implemented.

The South Rim Visitor Transportation Plan, developed by the NPS in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, addresses the most pressing traffic, parking and visitor access issues in Grand Canyon Village. The plan addresses the need to improve visitor transportation facilities and services, such as parking and shuttle service; to make the most effective use of existing visitor facilities and services; and to reduce safety risks due to conflicts between pedestrians, parked vehicles and moving traffic near Mather Point and elsewhere in Grand Canyon Village.

Funding for Phase I and Phase II improvements is being made available through entrance fees collected under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act.

Up-to-date information on this project is available on the park's web site at http://www.nps.gov/grca/parkmgmt/cvip09.htm. For additional information, call Vicky Stinson, Project Manager, at (928) 774-3026 or Shannan Marcak, Public Affairs Specialist at (928) 638-7958.


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