The following is a report from The Salt Lake Tribune.
On an average day in Zion National Park, a backlog of cars snake up a windy road that connects the park’s east and southwest sides.
Large tour buses and some RVs can’t fit in one lane on the old, narrow and steep Zion-Mount Carmel Highway, disrupting the flow of traffic and creating safety issues.
That will change this summer, though. Starting on June 7, Zion National Park will no longer allow large vehicles to drive the 10.7-mile Zion-Mount Carmel Highway between Canyon Junction and the park’s east entrance.
Restrictions will apply to vehicles longer than 35 feet, 9 inches, wider than 7 feet, 10 inches, taller than 11 feet, 4 inches and heavier than 50,000 pounds, according to the park. Combined vehicles, such as trucks pulling trailers, can’t exceed 50 feet overall; trailers can’t exceed 26 feet in length from the hitch to the rear axle.
“We’re doing this first and foremost for safety,” Matthew Fink, public affairs specialist for the park, said during a press conference on Monday. “Vehicles that exceed these dimensions cannot safely transit the highway.”
The park has videos of tour buses crossing the lane line as they navigate sharp turns up the switchbacks, Fink added.
The park also is implementing the new policy to protect the cultural heritage of the park. “This highway is a cultural resource,” Fink said. “It is a part of America’s history. It is on the list of the National Register of Historic Places. It’s a historic civil engineering landmark, and it was built to blend in with the scenery.”
Click here to read the full report from The Salt Lake Tribune.
