According to new documents from the federal government, word came down, in fact, from the National Park Service through the Federal Highways Administration official in the park that a noise complaint had been made, due to a construction worker having a flag on his truck while on the Park Road, and that the flag must not be flown while workers are driving the road.
The story from the federal government keeps changing.
“At no time did an NPS official seek to ban the American flag from the project site or associated vehicles. The NPS neither administers the bridge project contract, nor has the authority to enforce terms or policies related to the contract or contractors performing the work,” the statement from the National Park Service read last week.
The National Park Service said the American flag flies in multiple locations throughout Denali National Park, including at campsites, on public and private vehicles and at employee residences.
However, when citizens went to check on Sunday, there was no flag flying at the Denali Park headquarters and workers on duty were not able to locate the flag.
The Federal Highway Administration, which is overseeing the contract for bridge construction work inside Denali National Park, has reiterated that the demand came from the Park Service.
Granite’s media statement “attributable to a Granite Spokesperson“:
Granite is a 100+ year-old American company. We are currently serving as the general contractor for the FHWA at the Polychrome site in Denali National Park. One of the Polychrome project’s partnership goals is to preserve the park’s natural elements and maintain park visitors’ experience by keeping a low profile as we go about our work, and we are mindful of this goal when planning our work and supporting the project. On May 16, 2024, our client notified us that a visitor complained that one of our vehicles was creating a noise disturbance by traveling through the park with a mounted flag and our client asked that the flag be removed. We always work to be responsive to our client’s concerns and complied. Our interest is in safely completing this important project while being considerate of park visitors and their desire to enjoy the scenery and wildlife. We are excited to partner with FHWA on the construction of this important project.
Granite is America’s Infrastructure CompanyTM, and we proudly display our nation’s flag at our offices, plants, and jobsites in Alaska – and across the United States.
The official statement from the U.S. Department of Transportation (for Federal Highway Administration):
“The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) fully supports the display of American flags, and hopefully we can clear up some of the confusion about this incident. FHWA is currently administering the contract for ongoing work at Denali National Park to ensure visitors will be able to safely access the park via a new bridge. As is always the case with construction work in our national parks, the goal is to minimize impacts and noise for both visitors and wildlife as much as possible. NPS staff relayed concerns to FHWA — as it does with all feedback related to the project — regarding single occupant vehicle traffic, as well as a visitor complaint about flags on vehicles while the vehicles were in motion. FHWA brought both concerns to the responsible contractor, who addressed the situation per their usual process.”
This corroborates, in part, the version of events that came from construction workers, who said an FHA worker told Granite that the National Park Service had received a complaint about a flag on workers’ trucks early in the season. The complaint came before the tour buses started running on May 15.
In a separate statement to Alaska Public Media, FHA reported that it was about “the noise a bridge worker’s vehicle-mounted flag was making while travelling the Park Road.”
Last week’s statement in full from the National Park Service:
Reports that a National Park Service (NPS) official ordered the removal of an American flag from a Denali bridge construction worker’s vehicle at Denali National Park are false. At no time did an NPS official seek to ban the American flag from the project site or associated vehicles. The NPS neither administers the bridge project contract, nor has the authority to enforce terms or policies related to the contract or contractors performing the work. The American flag can be seen at various locations within Denali National Park – at park facilities and campsites, on public and private vehicles, and at employee residences – and we welcome its display this Memorial Day weekend and every day.”
The statement is carefully worded. The order to not fly the flag was reportedly not on the job site itself, which is under the purview of the Federal Highway Administration, but when vehicles went to and from the job site on the Park Road, which goes through the park from the Parks Highway. Must Read Alaska has verified the claim being made by construction workers, who stand by their version of the events.
