Reclamation is excited to be constructing this foot bridge that will connect two recreational trails in the area. We did receive a 404 permit from the Army Corps of Engineers and did the environmental compliance to allow our contractor to create the temporary road access. This road is allowing access as our contractor constructs the recreational foot bridge. The foot bridge will be located about 20 to 30 feet upstream from the access road. It will sit about 12 to 16 feet above the current water surface. According to the plans for the foot bridge, the bridge would be about 7 feet above an estimated annual runoff event of 3,500 cfs. The drawings also show it about two feet above a 50-year flood event of 12,000 cfs.
The current schedule for construction shows that we will be able to remove the access road at the end of February or early March. Again, that's if all goes according to schedule. We opted to do this construction while there is no release from Heron and I believe the water that was in the channel was frozen last week. If the construction should last beyond the scheduled time, we will coordinate to put some signage upstream or do some public notifications to make every effort to ensure those floating the river are aware of the current situation.
Update provided by Mary Carlson, Public Affairs Specialist, Bureau of Reclamation, Jan 11, 2022