Steady work by the plow crews in Yellowstone National Park has park officials predicting that the East Entrance will open to traffic Friday.

That said, work on a 1-mile section of the road over Sylvan Pass might result in traffic delays on the East Entrance road of up to 30-minutes a bit later this year. Construction is expected to begin sometime between May 15 and June 1.

Elsewhere in Yellowstone, the road from the park’s North and West entrances to Madison, Canyon, and Old Faithful opened as scheduled on April 16. Due to construction through Gibbon Canyon, visitors traveling between Norris and Madison can expect up to 30-minute delays through October 20. This section of road will also be closed to travel between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. every night until September 1.

There will be no alternate route around the overnight construction closure until the road from Old Faithful and Fishing Bridge to West Thumb and the South Entrance opens on Friday, May 14.

There will be no daytime delays or overnight closures due to construction on any park road project during holiday weekends.

The road between Tower Fall and Canyon over Dunraven Pass is scheduled to open for travel on Friday, May 21.

The road from Gardiner, Montana, through the park's North Entrance to Mammoth Hot Springs to Cooke City, Montana, is open to automobiles all year, weather permitting.

Limited visitor services are available at this time of year, but some facilities are currently open at Old Faithful, Canyon, and Mammoth. For information on facility opening dates, please visit http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/index.htm.

As the recent snowstorms illustrate, spring visitors to Yellowstone should be prepared for a wide range of winter and spring weather conditions, including plows clearing snow from the roads, and temporary road closures. Snow remains on many trails and boardwalks which may limit access in some areas.

Updated Yellowstone National Park road information is available 24 hours a day by calling 307-344-2117.