Kristin Tenney
A new bridge for the popular Great Western Trail up American Fork Canyon is stuck in Pleasant Grove.
The bridge is supposed to replace one damaged by an avalanche in 1995 near Aspen Grove. Materials for the new bridge were delivered to the Pleasant Grove Ranger Station and assembled there.
Uintah National Forest Technician David Healey said it wasn’t until after the bridge was assembled that they realized it was too heavy to be transported into the canyon.
“It weighs four tons, eight thousand pounds,” Healey said. “The bridge is made out of boards that are 36 feet long. It is a very big and shockingly heavy bridge.”
The weight is not the only issue forest officials are dealing with. There are strict environmental regulations that need to be considered as well.
“The tricky part is that the location for the bridge is near a wilderness area so we have to watch where we go,” said Kim Kirks, a Forest Service employee. “We can’t go over that border because it is protected by environmental guidelines.”
The Forest Service is considering the use of a helicopter to install the bridge, but that option may not be realistic.
“We considered the use of a helicopter, and we have used one on another project, but using a helicopter just isn’t safe,” Kirks said.
The most plausible idea for transportation requires extremely heavy moving equipment.
“We will probably end up taking it up to Aspen Grove on a large trailer and then we will have to drag it with a caterpillar up the last, probably, half mile to where it will be place. We wish there was an easier way,” Healey said.
The bridge needs to be put in place as soon as possible because thousands of people walk that trail every year to climb Timpanogos Mountain, Healey said.
The new bridge was funded directly from the fees that were collected at the toll booth near the mouth of American Fork Canyon.
It is expected to be more durable than the last bridge and it will be positioned to avoid avalanche damage.
“Unless another big avalanche comes, this bridge ought to last at least fifty years or maybe longer,” Healey said.
