YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — The East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park is set to open Friday after a public-private effort to get the park's roads plowed despite federal budget cuts.

The budget cuts took effect March 1 and threatened to delay the opening of park entrances by two weeks while the National Park Service postponed spring plowing to save money.

In response, the towns of Jackson and Cody and the Cody Country Chamber of Commerce raised $171,000 to hire state snow plows to help with the job.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation crews helped to put plowing in Yellowstone back on track despite the cuts. Yellowstone officials say the park's South Entrance is set to open as originally scheduled May 10.

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