Representatives of Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway used the recent Dixie Regional Transportation Expo to inform the public of road changes, including oversized vehicle restrictions starting next year.
While over a year away, the representatives wanted to avoid surprising park visitors and locals passing through Zion National Park.
Officially announced in May 2024, the park plans to reroute vehicles exceeding 11 feet, 4 inches tall; 7 feet, 10 inches wide; 35 feet, 9 inches long; or those that exceed 50,000 pounds to existing alternate routes around Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway.
Set to begin by mid-2026; the restrictions are meant to increase road safety by reducing potential collisions, decreasing overweight loads on bridges not built to support them, and reducing lane crossings from wide turns.
Larger vehicles will no longer be able to access highway tunnels. Currently, wider vehicles can pass through the tunnels with rangers at either end for traffic control. This process can lock up traffic in one direction for up to 40 minutes.
Alternative Routes
According to the National Park Service, the route from Zion National Park to Bryce Canyon National Park along Interstate 15 and State Route 20 adds 63 miles or 40-plus additional minutes of travel time.
Another route from Zion National Park to the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, by taking state Route 59 in Utah onto Highways 89A and 67 in Arizona, will add 23 miles to the overall trip.
Both Washington and Kane Counties are working to find ways to decrease travel time, with pending road projects and park access alternatives.
Washington County
In preparation for the closure, the county plans to pave the preexisting Sheep Bridge Road, which connects state Route 9 and state Route 59.
The project is in the middle of the National Environmental Policy Act permitting process, as a section of the road crosses federal land. Since the county will also need to acquire easements for infrastructure, officials will need to work with private landowners.
Potential pedestrian and bike lane plans along the roadway are also being worked on.
Kane County
Kane County officials are apprehensive about tunnel closures, which will impact tour buses.
“While oversized vehicles make up only a small percentage of traffic through the park… the majority of those sorts of vehicles do come from Zion’s Kane County side,” said Kane County Commissioner Celeste Meyeres. “Large international tour buses, among other kinds of vehicles, are major economic contributors to Kane County, and if they’re not allowed to pass along SR-9, it could have a significant impact on local economies.”
Meyeres said that the county has secured $8 million in federal and state grants to improve the Coral Pink Sand Dunes Road to accommodate larger vehicles denied access through the National Park.
An additional $2 million is being sought from the state in the current legislative session.
The Coral Pink Sand Dunes Road connects to Highway 89 in Utah south of Mt. Carmel Junction, southwest past Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, and continues to Cane Beds, Arizona, where it connects to SR-59/Highway 389 by way of the Cane Beds Road.
The road is not currently built to support oversized loads and needs upgrades. This will include installing safety infrastructure like guard rails and cattle guards to protect drivers and grazing livestock. Access to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park may also be improved.
Author: Maddi Munro
Photo courtesy of Joe Borek
Editor: Chevy Blackburn
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