Railroad crossings in Mojave National Preserve in California will be closed intermittently in March so that Union Pacific Railroad can upgrade the tracks. The closings will interrupt through traffic on Kelbaker, Cedar Canyon (Mojave Road), and Ivanpah roads, and the unpaved portion of Cima Road.

Mojave National Preserve Superintendent Todd Suess said UP expects to complete the entire schedule of work between March 1-22. Portions of the affected roads will be closed for the work between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. The unaffected portions of the roads will remain open during the work.

Message boards on the roads will notify drivers about the closings of the railroad crossings, and barricades will be stationed on those portions of the roads that must be closed. Driving through the sections of roads where crews are working will not be possible.

The daily schedule provided by UP for the closings:

• Cedar Canyon Road crossing near Kelso Cima Road: Closed March 1-5
• Kelbaker Road crossing at Kelso Cima Road: Closed March 2-5
• Ivanpah Road crossing (9 miles south of Nipton Road): Closed March 18, 19, and 22

Park visitors are advised that there is currently no access to Death Valley Mine by way of the unpaved extension of Cima Road east of Kelso Cima Road. Crews began rehabilitating the siding and track crossing on the Cima Road extension on February 21. Access is expected to be restored on March 1. During the closing of Cedar Canyon Road (Mojave Road) near Kelso Cima Road, access to Kelso Cima Road from the east will be available only through park roads that connect with Nipton Road, Interstate 15, and Interstate 40.

During the closing of the Kelbaker Road crossing at Kelso Cima Road in Kelso, California, temporarily interrupting use of the park’s north/south routes, drivers can use Interstate 15 or U.S. Route 95 to skirt the park. Those alternate routes add only about 10 minutes to the drive time from Palm Springs or Twentynine Palms to Las Vegas. The rest of Kelbaker and Kelso Cima Roads will remain open while UP crews fix the crossing, allowing access for visitors to the park’s iconic sites, including the Kelso Dunes, the Joshua tree forest at Cima Dome, and the Cinder Cone Lava Beds.

The closing of the crossing on Ivanpah Road will affect only through traffic between Interstate 40 and Nipton Road. The rest of Ivanpah Road will remain open.