GETTYSBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — Be prepared to be rerouted if you plan to visit Gettysburg National Military Park’s Museum and Visitor Center starting April 1.

New parking measures will be taking effect due to road work on Visitor Center Drive from Taneytown Road to the Visitor Center. This is not just a repair but a complete reconstruction.

“Its lifespan is over,” explains Jason Martz, Communications Specialist for the park. “The road was original to the visitor center in 2008. It’s asphalt, it’s been patched repeatedly, but it’s at the end of its lifespan.”

The asphalt will be replaced with concrete. Tearing out the old asphalt began on December 5. While the Taneytown Entrance to the museum has been closed since then, park personnel didn’t need to set up alternative parking spots, since visitation is down during the winter months. But visitor traffic picks up starting around April, and the closed Taneytown Road entrance blocks access to a couple of overflow parking lots. So, the park is adding some temporary overflow parking locations near the Museum. Parking staff will be onsite to direct visitors to the closest available parking area at the time of their arrival. 

What parking spot visitors will proceed to depends on weather conditions. If recent, and current, weather conditions have been DRY, visitors will follow these directions: 

1. Visitors will be able to park in the main Museum and Visitor Center parking lot. This lot is referred to as Lot 1. 
2. When Lot 1 fills up, visitors will be directed to the adjacent Bus parking lot (Lot 2). 
3. When the Bus parking lot (Lot 2) fills up, visitors will be directed to the grass lots at the corner of Hunt Avenue and Taneytown Road (Lot 3a) and along Taneytown Road (Lot 3b). Visitors will be able to access the Museum and Visitor Center via the walking path that begins at the corner of Hunt Avenue and Taneytown Road.  
4. When the two grass lots fill up, visitors will be directed to park at the Gettysburg National Cemetery parking lot (Lot 4) along Taneytown Road. Visitors will be able to access the Museum and Visitor Center via the walking path that connects the National Cemetery parking lot to the walking path that begins at the corner of Hunt Avenue and Taneytown Road. 
5. When the Gettysburg National Cemetery parking lot (Lot 4) fills up, visitors will be encouraged to park along the entire stretch of Hancock Avenue from the Pennsylvania Memorial to the Gettysburg National Cemetery parking lot. Visitors will be able to access the Museum and Visitor Center via the walking path that connects Hancock Avenue near the High Water Mark, Auto Tour Stop 16, down the ridge to the Lydia Lyster house, to the walking path that begins at the corner of Hunt Avenue and Taneytown Road. 

A free shuttle bus will run between the Museum and Visitor Center, the Hunt Avenue grass lot (Lot 3a), the Gettysburg National Cemetery parking lots (Lot 4), and back to the Museum and Visitor Center. The shuttle will operate on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm ONLY. During wet conditions, the shuttle will bypass Lot 3a along Hunt Avenue.   

If recent, and current, weather conditions have been WET, ONLY paved parking areas will be available, including Lots 1, 2, 4, and Hancock Avenue.  

These parking measures will continue until the Visitor Center Drive construction project is completed sometime this summer. Jason Martz says the precise completion date “is all weather dependent. The concrete needs time to cure properly. If the temperature dips below 35 degrees at night, they can’t work.” But he expects the road to reopen sometime this summer.