Grand Loop Road, Norris to Golden Gate
This was a series of projects over a three-year period in Yellowstone National Park, which improved the existing surface of the roadway, constructed several significant realignments improving the geometry and safety of the roadway, and reclaimed wetlands and historical areas along the project limits.
The Grand Loop Road project stretched for 4.8 miles northward toward Mammoth, Wyoming. Norris Junction is located 21 miles south of Mammoth, Wyoming in Yellowstone National Park. The project limits began where Phase I completed during the last construction season, approximately one mile north of Roaring Mountain. The limits extended 4.8 miles north towards Mammoth and concluded just past the Moose Exhibit turnout.
The existing road surface consisted of varying conditions and qualities of asphalt pavement with 12-foot lanes and no existing shoulder. Large potholes, dips, and alligator cracking, as well as encroaching wetland areas diminished the quality and safety of the roadway. This project provided corridor reconstruction between 6 and 14 miles north of Norris Junction along the Grand Loop Road. Project work
consisted of 150,000 to 200,000 cubic yards of roadway excavation, grading, drainage, new MSE walls, rehabilitated and new stone masonry walls, rehabilitated historic timber structures, reinforced slope stabilization, installation of micro-pile wall foundations, rockery wall construction, aggregate base course, paving, and pavement obliteration. Rehabilitation sites included lookouts and trails in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone area at Inspiration Point, Brink of Upper Falls, and Uncle Tom’s Trail.
RockSol provided construction inspection and administrative assistance support services for this project. Project duties included inspection of clearing and grubbing, study of project plans and cross sections, inspection and photography of the Swan Lake Pit area, inspection of embankment construction, inspection of MSE wall excavation, and inspection of lower MSE wall construction.