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Beartooth Highway expected to open May 28 Road should be ready for tourists by Memorial Day weekend, Park Service says By ERIN P. BILLINGS Gazette State Bureau HELENA - The scenic Beartooth Highway, as a gateway to Yellowstone National Park, should be plowed and open by Memorial Day weekend. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., announced this week that snow should be removed from the highway by the busy holiday travel weekend, which begins May 28. Baucus said the National Park Service has assured him that barring any unforeseen weather conditions, the highway will be passable for motorists. "That's jobs and tourism," Baucus said. "That's the Red Lodge economy. It makes sense to have it plowed by the weekend." Cheryl Matthews, spokeswoman for Yellowstone Park, said plowing already has begun and every day is needed until May 28 to accomplish the job. Both the Montana Department of Transportation and U.S. Forest Service are charged with clearing the road. "We can never guarantee that it's going to get done," Matthews said. "The plan is to try and get it open, but of course it is weather dependent." Funding to repair and maintain the Beartooth Highway, which spans the mountains between Cooke City and Red Lodge, was assured two years ago in Congress. The funding measure set aside $12 million for repair and maintenance of the highway, along with another $65 million in federal land acquisition money to stop a gold mining project on the outskirts of Yellowstone. In addition to the $12 million, another $19.9 million for construction and maintenance of the Beartooth was allocated in the 1998 federal highway bill. Matthews said the cost of plowing the Beartooth varies each year, depending largely on snowpack. Last year, she said it cost about $80,000 to clear the highway for motorists. The highway often is open around Memorial Day weekend.
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