Post by Poor Richard on Jul 20, 2022 20:53:20 GMT -7
FWP closes stretch of Yellowstone River due to threat of railway bridge collapse
The Bozeman Chronicle reports:
"Officials closed an 8-mile section of the Yellowstone River on Wednesday due to concerns that a railway bridge could fall into the water, according to a news release from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
The Montana Department of Transportation reported to FWP that a railway bridge near U.S. Highway 89 “is dangerously close to falling in the water,” officials wrote in the release. The bridge crosses the Yellowstone River east of Livingston.
The railway bridge was damaged in the historic flooding in mid-June. The floodwaters reached a peak of about 50,000 cubic-feet-per-second and swept away the Carbella Bridge near Gardiner.
The 8-mile stretch of the river between the Mayor’s Landing Fishing Access Site and the Sheep Mountain Fishing Access Site was closed due to the imminent safety risks.
The Highway 89 Bridge Fishing Access Site is included in the closure, which will remain in place until the state agencies resolve the safety concerns. People can still launch their boats at the Sheep Mountain FAS, and they can still use the Mayor’s Landing FAS for take-out access, department officials wrote.
The closure comes as Yellowstone National Park is gradually reopening parts of the park impacted by flooding that washed out major parts of the road running through the northern part of the park.
The damage has prevented vehicle access east of Tower Junction other than some commercial tour operators.
Yellowstone officials announced Wednesday evening a slight expansion of the access east of Tower. Beginning Thursday, bicyclists and hikers will be able to access a part of the road between Tower and Slough Creek.
The park also said in a news release that it’s working on a day-use reservation system for visitors that could allow vehicle access to the area. The system is expected to be online by Aug. 1.
The park release said the road between Slough Creek Campground Road and the Lamar Valley is expected to remain closed to cars and foot traffic for months while crews work on “major construction repairs.”
The Beartooth Highway connecting Cooke City to Red Lodge is scheduled to reopen on Friday."
"Officials closed an 8-mile section of the Yellowstone River on Wednesday due to concerns that a railway bridge could fall into the water, according to a news release from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
The Montana Department of Transportation reported to FWP that a railway bridge near U.S. Highway 89 “is dangerously close to falling in the water,” officials wrote in the release. The bridge crosses the Yellowstone River east of Livingston.
The railway bridge was damaged in the historic flooding in mid-June. The floodwaters reached a peak of about 50,000 cubic-feet-per-second and swept away the Carbella Bridge near Gardiner.
The 8-mile stretch of the river between the Mayor’s Landing Fishing Access Site and the Sheep Mountain Fishing Access Site was closed due to the imminent safety risks.
The Highway 89 Bridge Fishing Access Site is included in the closure, which will remain in place until the state agencies resolve the safety concerns. People can still launch their boats at the Sheep Mountain FAS, and they can still use the Mayor’s Landing FAS for take-out access, department officials wrote.
The closure comes as Yellowstone National Park is gradually reopening parts of the park impacted by flooding that washed out major parts of the road running through the northern part of the park.
The damage has prevented vehicle access east of Tower Junction other than some commercial tour operators.
Yellowstone officials announced Wednesday evening a slight expansion of the access east of Tower. Beginning Thursday, bicyclists and hikers will be able to access a part of the road between Tower and Slough Creek.
The park also said in a news release that it’s working on a day-use reservation system for visitors that could allow vehicle access to the area. The system is expected to be online by Aug. 1.
The park release said the road between Slough Creek Campground Road and the Lamar Valley is expected to remain closed to cars and foot traffic for months while crews work on “major construction repairs.”
The Beartooth Highway connecting Cooke City to Red Lodge is scheduled to reopen on Friday."