ZION – Superintendent Jock Whitworth has announced that the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway within Zion National Park will have two additional nights of closure in order to facilitate the road project being completed on time. The Friday nights of October 15 and October 22 will be added to the usual Sunday through Thursday night schedule for the Zion-Mt. Carmel Reconstruction Project. With these additional nights of work, the project is still expected to be completed on October 28.
 
Heavy rains during the week of October 3 delayed the paving schedule several days. With the possibility of more inclement weather the week of October 17, it is imperative to extend and take advantage of all opportunities to pave during good weather. Residents of the area and travelers going through the park will see a lot of activity the next two weeks as construction crews work hard to complete the largest road project in Zion since the road was originally constructed.
 
Final sealing and striping of the road will require one daytime closure and one early closure the week of October 25, weather permitting. The exact dates of those closures will be announced when they are determined.
 
The Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway is closed to all vehicles 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., Sunday through Friday nights. The road is open to passenger cars 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and all times from Saturday at 8 a.m. to Sunday at 8 p.m. Hours for large vehicles 7 feet 10 inches wide or wider and/or 11 feet 4 inches tall or taller are currently 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day.
 
Alternate routes for travelers between US Highway 89 and Zion Canyon are Utah SR 59 from Hurricane to Arizona SR 389(1.5 hours—good for large vehicles); Utah SR 14 from Cedar City to Long Valley Junction (2 hours—steep grades/curves); or from I-15 to Utah SR 20 (2 hours—good for large vehicles).
 
For updated Zion-Mt Carmel Highway construction information, call 435-772-3256 (please note that the number options have changed) or visit the park website at www.nps.gov/zion.