A paving project is scheduled to begin Thursday on the Village Loop Drive at Grand Canyon National Park's South Rim, and it could snarl traffic into mid-May.

Starting Thursday, all Village Loop Drive traffic will be one-way, with all phases of paving occurring in the opposite lane. No street parking will be allowed. Visitors and residents can expect some delays associated with the work; however, all roads will be open. There will  be limited access to businesses on Village Loop Drive for four to six hours on a single day the last week of the paving schedule, approximately May 2 to May 9. Two days prior to paving operations that will limit access, notices will be provided to the businesses to notify guests and service providers of specific area closures. 

In addition to the paving work in Grand Canyon Village, the South Entrance Road from Yavapai Geology Museum to park headquarters is anticipated to reopen Thursday, April 19, and traffic will no longer take a detour through the Market Plaza area. Work at the Yaki Point/South Kaibab trailhead area should be open to permissible traffic by Monday, April 23; however, milling for asphalt paving will begin on April 30. There will be no parking in the South Kaibab trailhead parking lot through approximately May 14.

During the four-day paving operation, anticipated to be May 7-11, there will be no shuttle bus service to Yaki Point or South Kaibab trailhead. The closest shuttle stop is at Pipe Creek Vista, approximately one mile from the South Kaibab trailhead, via the Greenway Trail. The Maswik Lodge shuttle bus stop will be closed from approximately April 17 to April 23 to allow for concrete to be poured and cured.

As always in construction zones, drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists should be on the lookout for large machinery, and follow detour signs and flaggers.

One of the largest road construction projects in Grand Canyon National Park history, this Federal Highway Administration project will help preserve and extend the life of existing roads.