US Forest Service Parking Lot Re-Opened For Traffic

By Kendra Szabo
Published: Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - 10:15am
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A Coconino County sheriff's deputy opened a Forest Service parking lot to traffic Saturday, after a northern Arizona highway got jammed.

The Arizona Daily Sun says The U.S. Forest Service ordered the company that maintains the day use area to close it last week because of the federal government shutdown.

But when Highway 89A through Oak Creek Canyon was blocked in both directions, the deputy opened the gate to clear the highway, otherwise emergency vehicle access would have been blocked.