One of the two damaged culverts near the Great Meadow/NPS

Emergency repairs to replace a culvert will require closure of a short section of the Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park in Maine.

The closure is scheduled to begin Tuesday on the one-way 0.7-mile segment of Park Loop Road between the intersection with Kebo Street and Sieur de Monts in Bar Harbor. Motor vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians will be barred from that section while the repairs take place. All traffic will be detoured at Kebo Street and continue on Cromwell Harbor Road to Main Street (Route 3) then rejoin the Park Loop Road at the Sieur de Monts entrance.

This detour will not affect access to any other areas of the national park. The rest of Park Loop Road, including Ocean Drive, will remain open with no changes to traffic patterns. 

Severe road damage to the Park Loop Road in the vicinity of the Great Meadow was identified last winter, but recently culminated in the complete blockage, subsequent flooding, and partial collapse of two culverts located on the northern edge of the Great Meadow.  

Closing park areas, especially during peak visitation, is considered only in situations directly affecting visitor safety and resource protection. In this situation, the degree of damage and the potential for road failure warrant its immediate repair, which requires the road to be closed. The National Park Service is working closely with a contractor to expedite the repairs and reopen the road as soon as possible.