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White Rim trail, washed out at Mineral Bottom

Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
Looks like the White Rim trail is going to be impassable for awhile, after severe damage to the Mineral Bottom switchbacks.-


http://www.nationalparkstraveler.co...ational-park-strands-rigs-below-white-rim6445

A powerful storm that raked Canyonlands National Park did substantial damage to routes along the famed White Rim Trail and has stranded some vehicles at the bottom of the Mineral Bottom switchbacks, park officials said Friday.

Paul Henderson, the park's assistant superintendent, said rangers assessed the damage to the Mineral Bottom and Shafer Trail roads from the air Friday afternoon.

"We might have the White Rim and Shafer open tomorrow - seems the storm sort of acted like a tornado - slam something here and leave something there unscathed," he said. "Nobody is stranded on the White Rim. Biggest issue now are the vehicles at Mineral Bottom - until the White Rim is open they will have to stay put - and then they will make it out only if they are four-wheel-drive with fairly high clearance.

The storm hit Thursday and did substantial damage to sections of the two routes.

"Major damage to the Mineral switchbacks - initial reports are that the road could be closed for several weeks," Mr. Henderson said.

The Shaefer Trail Road and Mineral Bottom Road are at opposite ends of the 100-mile-long White Rim Trail, a meandering dirt route popular with mountain bikers.
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Here's a photo of the damage...

minbottom.jpg


Apparently a stock pond at the top of the canyon, above the switchbacks, backed up with quite a bit of water, until it blew and washed out the switchbacks on the way down to the river. Good thing nobody was on the switchbacks when it happened! :eek:

No word from the NPS on when the trail will be repaired. I might call and see what they have to say, as I was planning on riding the WRT next weekend. :(
 
Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
Little more info on the situation, from an email to a mtn biking group that was interested in making the trip soon.

As a reminder, while most of the White Rim trail is in Canyonlands
(National Park) the northern, Green River terminus at Mineral Bottom
is in BLM lands. Technically it is in the Price jurisdiction but they
have turned responsibility for the reconstruction of the Mineral
Bottom road washout over to Moab.

Moab advised me that, as we were talking (25 August 2010), the county
road people were out surveying the damage and coming up with a plan.
BLM will contract with county to do the actually road work. At this
time, there is no projected date to re-open the road. The Moab lady
said it was unlikely to be open in October.
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Cody

Cody

Random Quote Generator
Supporting Member
Location
Gastown
8-12 weeks actually doesn't seem like long enough to fix that. Hopefully they get after it in the spring and have it open by early summer.
 
Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
Cody said:
8-12 weeks actually doesn't seem like long enough to fix that. Hopefully they get after it in the spring and have it open by early summer.
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If they haul in enough material and a few key pieces of heavy machinery, you'd be surprised how quickly they could fix it. Sounds like coming up with the money is the biggest hold up.

If a washout like that happened on the railroad track, it would be opened for traffic in less than 12 hrs. ;)
 
Herzog

Herzog

somewhat damaged
Admin
Location
Wydaho
BLM seeks funding for Mineral Bottom Road

Interesting bit -
An economic impact study conducted by the BLM estimated that the road closure will cause county businesses $4.9 million in direct and indirect sales and could result in the loss of 87 jobs per year.

The study concludes that $1.9 million of income will be lost because of the foregone sales and jobs. And $319,000 in state and local tax receipts will be lost every year the road is closed.

The BLM study notes the community’s reliance on tourism is 3.5 times the state average. The study finds that 30 commercial outfitters rely “all or in part on access to [the White Rim Trail via Mineral Bottom] for their businesses” assuming that visitors unable to access Mineral Bottom will go elsewhere rather than choose a different activity in the Moab area.

Read more: Moab Times-Independent - BLM seeks funding for Mineral Bottom Road
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Just for one road being out of commission. Just think how badly the economy down there would be affected if suwa(er) got their way!?
 
Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
Reconstruction of the switchbacks at Mineral Bottom is scheduled to begin on Monday, Dec 13th!


source: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/utahrafters/message/26461

Contents of press release:

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
December 8, 2010; MOAB, UT
Contact: Melinda Brimhall, Grand County Council Administrator
Phone: 435-259-1347
Fax: 435-259-2574
E-mail: melindabrimhall@...

Reconstruction to Begin on Mineral Bottom Road Switchbacks

On December 2, 2010 Central Federal Lands Highway Division (CFLHD) of the United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration issued a contract to KSUE Corporation of Moab, Utah, to commence immediate reconstruction of switchbacks on Mineral Bottom Road (Grand County Route 129). Construction is anticipated to commence December 13, 2010 and is expected to continue through spring of 2011. CFLHD will be administering the project, including contract management, throughout the duration of the construction process. During the construction process, access to the switchback and construction area will be restricted and no public admittance will be allowed.

In August of 2010, a storm destroyed the switchbacks, making the road impassable. Grand County partnered with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Moab Field Office to apply for funding through USDOT’s program of Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads.

Grand County wishes to express appreciation to countless stakeholders for the public support of this project. Specifically, staff from the BLM Moab Field Office took immediate and critical measures in obtaining emergency funding for reconstruction of the road. Additionally, efforts of staff from Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park, as well as support from Governor Herbert and Congressman Matheson, helped to secure emergency federal funds for the road’s reconstruction.

Melinda Brimhall
County Council Administrator
Grand County
125 E Center St.
Moab, UT 84532
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Herzog

Herzog

somewhat damaged
Admin
Location
Wydaho
Repaired Mineral Bottom Road to reopen March 29

http://www.moabtimes.com/view/full_...d-to-reopen-March-29?instance=home_news_right

Work has progressed more quickly than expected and Mineral Bottom Road, a route that provides recreational access to the Green River and the White Rim Trail, will reopen March 29, officials with Grand County and several federal agencies announced this week.

Several switchback sections of the road were completely washed out by heavy rains on Aug. 19, and the road has been closed since that time. The closure cost Grand County about $4.9 million in revenue from tourism, according to a study conducted last fall by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. County and BLM officials had estimated that repair work would take at least until May or June, and that construction might not be completed until fall of 2011.

“This is just one of those rare projects where everything all came together and it worked out better than we expected,” said Grand County Council Administrator Melinda Brimhall. “We are very excited that the road will be reopened earlier than we expected.”

Funding for the repair work came from a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Central Federal Lands Highway Division. That agency has worked in close partnership with Grand County, the BLM and the National Park Service to make sure the project was completed effectively and efficiently, Brimhall said.

Mineral Bottom Road is a dirt road that includes several narrow switchbacks. The road serves as a launch and take-out point for river trips on the Green River as well as serving as the access route on the west side to the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park. The road is owned and maintained by Grand County at a cost of about $5,000 annually, county officials have said.

The BLM originally estimated the cost of the repairs at $1.95 million, but Moab-based KSUE Corp., the contractor hired to do the work, will complete the construction for about half that amount – about $990,000, Brimhall said.

“It was just really hard initially to try to get a realistic grasp on the actual scope of the work,” Brimhall said. “[KSUE] was able to save money in several ways. For instance, we thought we were going to have to truck fill material to the area, and that would have been very expensive. They were able to generate most of the [fill] material at the site.”

While the Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads program administered by the Central Federal Lands Highway Division typically allows only the replacement and repair of a road to its condition before the damage occurred, Brimhall said the Mineral Bottom Road was widened in some areas, out of necessity, and some concrete will be used in specific areas to help prevent damage from future flooding.

“The grade ultimately will be about the same, but it will be a safer road in terms of driving and passing [other vehicles],” she said.
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