US Forest Service, Leeds City and Washington County partner together to improve access to recreation opportunities in Southern Utah
From Jennifer Plecki, US Forest Service
Cedar City, UT — The Leeds Creek Bridge Replacement Project is scheduled to begin in August 2024 and conclude in October 2024. The bridge provides access to the popular Oak Grove Campground, dispersed camping, hiking and rock climbing in the Dixie National Forest’s Pine Valley Ranger District. During construction, the road will remain open through the use of a bypass road.
The project was championed as part of a partnership between the Forest Service, Leeds City and Washington County. All agreed that the 50 year old structure was showing signs of aging and needed to be replaced with a modern structure designed to current safety standards. Temporary repairs were completed by the Dixie National Forest Road Crew in 2022 using Resource Advisory Committee funds to keep the bridge safe until a permanent fix could be funded.
The existing bridge narrows the stream and has a concrete bottom, both of which increase flow velocities and downstream erosion. The new bridge will have a natural bottom and abutments outside of the bank’s full width enabling natural stream function and supporting aquatic organism passage.